(05-24-2014 Dacono, CO) Ominus weather dissipated and Mother Nature finally smiled on Colorado National Speedway in what turned out to be one of the most exciting nights of racing at the track in recent memory. The Encana Oil & Gas Energy Night saw 3 incredible feature events as well as a wild Train race and a massive FIREWORKS display to end a great weekend of racing.
Gillett Vet Clinic Super Late Models Dominic Ursetta probably didn’t plan to win the biggest race of the 2014 season is such a strange way but it certainly isn’t as if he didn’t deserve it either. Ursetta piloted his #6 to a win in the FAST DASH and would get a decent 4th place starting spot in the 100 lap feature.
During the first 5 laps of the race the entire field raced at full speed side by side maintaining their starting positions which is a testament to how competitive the Super Late Models are at CNS. Eventually former champion #74 Dan Savage was able to clear #66 Darren Bucklen and lead the race.
Super Late Model FAST DASH action at CNS (Starr photo)
By lap 8 it was Ursetta who bolted past Savage to take the lead but that’s when Dominic’s luck was about to change. Near the back of the pack #21 Odie Robertson made hard contact with the turn 3 wall and while Odie was okay his car was destroyed and a cleanup was in progress. After the restart Ursetta seemed to be struggling and emitting a shower of sparks behind his car due to a right front tire going down which was likely caused from the debris of Odie’s crash in turn 3. #22 Chris Eggleston got by the ailing 6 car as did #12 Bruce Yackey and it looked like Ursetta was no longer a threat to win the race. Another caution came out which ultimately saved Ursetta’s night as he was able to zip into the pits for quick repairs and come back out on the track except now he was in dead last position.
Through the mid-portion of the special 100 lap feature Eggleston and Yackey began to put on a great battle for the lead while #11 Darren Robertson and #31 Rick Smith were running strong in 3rd and 4th.
With 35 laps to go Eggleston began to pull away from the field but the speedy Ursetta was picking off cars left and right moving up through the pack and had found himself in 3rd place with less than 30 laps remaining.
The #39 car of Jack Nugent was also having a strong night and when Bruce Yackey pulled off under caution Nugent was all alone in 2nd place. By the time Ursetta finally caught and passed Nugent for 2nd place Eggleston had a large lead on the field but Dominic seemed determined to catch him.
With just 5 laps to go it was clear that Ursetta was catching Eggleston and on the final lap Dominic dove under Chris and the two crossed the line within feet of one another. While Eggleston crossed the line first he was later disqualified for a tech violation and Ursetta was awarded the win. Overcoming such major obstacles it seemed fitting that the #6 car would take home the trophy. 2nd place went to Nugent, 3rd was Darren Robertson, 4th place was Dan Savage, and in the final top 5 position was #31 Rick Smith.
FEATURE EVENT WINNER: #6 Dominic Ursetta FAST DASH: #6 Dominic Ursetta DASH: #39 Jack Nugent QUICK TIME: #22 Chris Eggleston 16.177
RMLRA Legends The RMLRA Legend cars rolled into CNS on their 3rd night of a three race national qualifying event that brought nearly 30 cars to the track. The intensity of the event was evident from qualifying and into the dash races but nobody could predict what was in store for the thrilling feature event.
There were a couple of scary crashes in the dash races and one in particular involving #28 Don Brunker who went up and over the #42 of Pat Manchego in turn 2. Brunker flipped up on his end with the nose of his car pointing straight up, he bounced halfway up the catch-fence spinning through the air landing hard on his top before sliding down the banking upside down. Thankfully both drivers escaped injury.
#28 Don Brunker took a wild spill in the Legends DASH. (Starr photo)
After the excitement of the dash races was over it was time to settle the score and wrap things up in a 35 lap main event.
A pair of 3s paced the large field for the start of the feature, #3 Wayne Barlock Jr. was on the pole and #03 Darrell Stewart was along side. When the green flag flew Barlock took control of the race for the first 5 laps however on lap 6 Kyle Clegg in the #66 car had gained the lead.
10 laps in and the central theme of the race had come into focus, it would be a 4-car battle for the lead between Clegg, #22 Chris Eggleston, 9i Jason Irwin from Albuquerque, and #15 Danny Medina. Each of these four drivers took turns at working their way around the others to take the lead as their fans cheered them on.
At the halfway point Medina was out front with Irwin all over him in 2nd. The 4 car battle raged on lap after lap thrilling the Memorial Day crowd at CNS. As the race neared completion it was literally anyone’s race as all 4 drivers looked as if they had a great shot at being victorious.
On the final lap of the race Irwin dove down low into turn one and snatched the lead from Medina. Danny seemed to let Jason go by too easily but that was because he planned to use the old “high-low” move to regain the lead which he did in textbook fashion exiting turn 2. With two lead changes on the final lap this Legend feature event was clearly one of the best races in recent memory from any division at CNS.
#15 Danny Medina and 9i Jason Irwin battle for the win. (Starr photo)
Medina took the hard fought win with Jason Irwin a close 2nd place. Clegg finished 3rd and while Eggleston crossed the line 4th he was awarded 21st spot as he was black flagged in the late stage of the race for dragging his bumper from the back of his car. #06 Mike Gallegos inherited 4th and a great run for the #13 of Peter Dellarco who finished 5th.
Danny Medina celebrates a hard fought win at CNS (Starr photo)
FEATURE EVENT WINNER: #15 Danny Medina FAST DASH: #22 Chris Eggleston DASH: #34 Chris Cooper QUICK TIME: #22 Chris Eggleston 18.577
Lincoln College Pure Stocks A large field of Pure Stocks lined up completely inverted for a 25 lap feature event. As you might imagine with the faster cars at the back and the slower cars at the front of the pack the first several laps of the Pure Stock main was utter chaos.
The white #91 of Cole Whitford was taking the extreme high line passing several cars and working his way to the front. At times it was 5-wide going into the corners which is typically a recipe for disaster but the Pure Stock drivers showed it can be done thrilling the fans lap after lap.
The Pure Stock feature was filled with action. (Starr photo)
#3% Will Alvarado had the lead through the first 10 laps but #96 Mike Steward and Whitford who had found his way into 3rd were passing slower cars high and low gaining on the leader.
At the halfway mark Steward had grabbed the lead but #32 Brett Yackey had come from dead last and was now in hot pursuit.
In the final laps of the race Steward did everything he could do to hold off the charge of Yackey as the two drivers navigated lapped traffic.
The #06 of Jeff Dempwolf had worked his way from the rear and was now in the mix making his own bid at the win. It was Steward, Yackey, and Dempwolf all battling for the lead placing the entire CNS crowd on the edge of their seat.
As the cars rounded the final corner they were 3-wide and at the finish line it was Yackey in 1st, Steward in 2nd, Dempwolf in 3rd, all three cars were within mere feet of one another at the line. Behind the leaders 21w Jamie Ward finished 4th and #48 Joe Mares was 5th.
The finish marked Brett Yackey’s first ever feature win at CNS and by sweeping the Pure Stock events catapulted himself into the championship points lead.
#32 Brett Yackey battles Mike Steward and Jeff Dempwolf in the Pure Stock feature. (Starr photo)
FEATURE EVENT WINNER: #32 Brett Yackey FAST DASH: #32 Brett Yackey DASH: #97 Cole Whitford QUICK TIME: #32 Brett Yackey 20.271
Witthar Racing Trains FEATURE EVENT WINNER: #86 Last Call Train
OFFICIAL FINISHING ORDER
Super Late Models Pos,No.,Name,Hometown 1. 6,Dominic Ursetta,Arvada, CO 2. 39,Jack Nugent,Lafayette, CO 3. 11,Darren Robertson,Westminster, CO 4. 74,Dan Savage,Aurora, CO 5. 31,Rick Smith,Gering, NE 6. 84,Matt Zwingleberg, 7. 66,Darren Bucklan,Greeley, CO 8. 91,Chris Atkinson,Cheyenne, WY 9. 55,Jesse Runkle,Lakewood, CO 10. 80,Ray Daniels,Monument, CO 11. 61,Chris Archer,Henderson, CO 12. 33,Emett Grazier,Wheatridge, CO 13. 34,Rudy Vanderwal(R),LaSalle, CO 14. 12,Bruce Yackey,Greeley, CO 15. 27,Roger Avants,Littleton, CO 16. 21,Odie Robertson, 17. 22,Chris Eggleston,Thornton CO
Legends Pos No. Name Hometown Laps 1. 15 Danny Medina Colorado Springs, CO 35 2. 9i Jason Irwin 35 3. 66 Kyle Clegg Westminster, CO 35 4. 06 Mike Gallegos Wheatridge, CO 35 5. 13 Peter Dellarco Highlands Ranch, CO 35 6. 34 Chris Cooper Frederick, CO 35 7. 25 Adam Pechman Morrison, CO 35 8. 03 Darrell Stewart Arvada, CO 35 9. 30 Darrell Stewart Jr (R) Arvada 35 10. 14 Chappy Adkins Kersey, CO 35 11. 20 Kynzer Riddell Westminster, CO 35 12. 26 Christopher Brunker Lakewood CO 35 13. 84 Mike Webber Erie, CO 35 14. 51 AJ Canada Centennial, CO 35 15. 11 Jessica Savage Aurora, CO 34 16. 31 Tim Mein Frederick, CO 34 17. 23 Austyn Radosta (R) Pueblo 34 18. 09 Terry McBride Edgewater, CO 33 19. 42 Patrick Manchego Pueblo West, CO 33 20. 17 BreAnn Adkison Cheyenne, WY 33 21. 22 Chris Eggleston Thornton CO 32 22. 46 Zach Witherwax Arvada CO 30 23. 99V Brian Van Matre (R) Lafayette, CO 28 24. 19 Larry Pachello Wheatridge, CO 24 25. 3 Wayne Barlock JR Evans, CO 19 26. 8 Brian Grandin 18 27. 83 Don Bedore Denver CO 17 DNS 07 Bill Seip Parker, CO DNS 28 Don Brunker (R) Lakewood CO
Pure Stocks Pos No. Name Hometown Laps 1. 32 Brett Yackey Greeley, CO 25 2. 96 Mike Steward 25 3. 06 Jeff Dempwolf Brighton, CO 25 4. 21w Jamie Ward Denver CO 25 5. 48 Joe Mares 25 6. 3% Will Alvarado Ft. Lupton, CO 25 7. 10m Mike Bellomy Hudson, CO 25 8. 61 Tim Verkamp Centennial, CO 25 9. 20G Mark Galvin 25 10. 16 Tony Nadeau Westminister, CO 25 11. 91 Cole Whitford 25 12. 33 Tyler Davis 25 13. 4 Brian Galvin 22 14. 3L Brian Lengvenas Denver, CO 14 15. 05 Zayne Tatra 12 16. 02 Chan Raley Thornton, CO 10 17. 74 Lindy Pinelli Dacono, CO 18. 84 Daniel Mares Aurora, CO 19. 51 Thomas Hughes
Trains 1. 86 2. 13 3. 69 4. 36x 5. 1776