CNS Staff
Oct 8, 2017
Updated: Mar 10, 2022
(10-07-2017 Dacono, CO) An absolute gorgeous Colorado fall evening was the setting for the 43rd Challenge Cup at Colorado National Speedway. The race has developed into a fan favorite especially with the addition of the annual trick-or-treat session for the kids with the drivers in the infield prior to the start of the race. It would take 100 laps of action to crown this year’s Challenge Cup winner and North Carolina transplant Preston Peltier in the #48 Super Late Model would run a masterful race holding off both 2014, 2015 winner Dominic Ursetta and 2009, 2011 winner Chris Eggleston.
Images of the pre-race festivities…
The Super Late Models prepare to take the green for the 43rd annual Challenge Cup (Starr photo)
Gillett Vet Clinic Super Late Models
Twenty Four Gillett Vet Clinic Super Late Models lined up to have a chance to win the 43rd Challenge Cup at Colorado National Speedway. With names such as Rick Carrelli, Jerry Robertson, Bruce Yackey, and Roger Avants as past winners the annual Challenge Cup is always one of the most competitive nights of racing of the year. No points are on the line so it’s purely an issue of pride and purse making the race especially exciting.
Kody Vanderwal and Jay Fields lead the field to the green flag for the 100 lap event but it wasn’t long until 2017 Super Late Model Champion Darren Robertson powered his way to the front on the low side of Vanderwal.
Darren Robertson passes Kody Vanderwal for the lead. (Starr photo)
On lap 19 Chris Eggleston and Kyle Ray made contact in turn 4 causing race ending damage to Ray’s car and sending Eggleston to the rear of the field during the caution. Dominic Ursetta also spun to avoid the incident and was given his position back from NASCAR officials.
After the restart Robertson once again built a large lead but now quick time setter Preston Peltier and Ursetta were starting to make their move to the front. At the halfway mark of the race Robertson was still leading and was able to hold off Peltier on a double file restart form a spin on the back of the back. However disaster struck for Robertson as he and the lapped car of George Maldonado made contact going down the back straight. Darren’s car came to a screeching halt entering turn 3 and his night as well as his chances for a 2nd Challenge Cup crown were over.
With Robertson out of the race Peltier and Ursetta began to battle for the lead. Ursetta was poking his nose to the inside and outside of Peltier looking for a way around. In 3rd place was Chris Eggleston who had come from the rear of the field but was still 8 car lengths back of Ursetta. When Brett Yackey’s car began to smoke heavily a caution was displayed and Ursetta and Eggleston would get yet another chance at Peltier.
Dominic Ursetta on the outside of Preston Peltier (Starr photo)
However on the double-file restart Ursetta’s car slowed coming out of turn two and created an accordion effect on the field causing several cars to crash into the turn 2 wall. Besides Ursetta, Jay Fields, Robert Davey, Mark Jones, and Bruce Yackey all suffered damage in the crash.
A late race crash in turn 2 (Starr photo)
With 9 laps to go there would be one final restart and one final chance for Chris Egglestson to get around Peltier for the lead. Peltier would have none of that and flexed his muscle pulling away from Eggleston by a full car length. The skilled North Carolina transplant held on to take the win and add his name to the long list of previous winners. Chris Eggleston finished an impressive 2nd while thrilling the crowd with his calculated move from the back to the front of the field. Possibly the most impressive run of the night came from Brian Yackey in the 22t car who was making his first ever Super Late Model start. Brian stayed out of trouble and seemed to find some speed late in the race passing Matt Zwingleberg, Kody Vanderwal and Justin Simonson to take home 3rd place.
#48 Preston Peltier holds off a late charge from #22 Chris Eggleston to win Challenge Cup XLIII (Starr photo)
With Peltier’s win the list of previous Challenge Cup winners now looks like this…
Previous Challenge Cup winners:
2017 Preston Peltier
2016 Kyle Ray
2015 Dominic Ursetta
2014 Dominic Ursetta
2013 Darren Robertson
2012 Adam Deines
2011 Chris Eggleston
2010 Dan Savage
2009 Chris Eggleston
2008 Ronnie Hults
2007 PJ Mattorano
2006 Scotty Backman
2005 Darren Crocker
2004 Jerry Robertson
2003 Rick Carelli
2002 Jerry Robertson
2001 Dave Finley
2000 Roger Avants
1999 MK Kanke
1998 Joe Bellm
1997 Richard Burton
1996 Jerry Robertson
1995 Rick Carelli
1994 Rick Carelli
1993 Bruce Yackey
1992 Steve Carlson
1991 Tom Carlson
1990 Fred Campbell
1989 Rick Carelli
1988 Terry Phillips
1987 Terry Phillips
1986 Larry Phillips
1985 Larry Phillips
1984 Larry Phillips
1983 Butch Speicher
1982 Larry Phillips
1981 Mike Niffenegger, Kalona, Iowa
1980 Odie Robertson, Littleton, Colorado
1979 “Wild Bill” Liebig, Rapid City, South Dakota
1978 Clayton Peterson Jr., Grand Island, Nebraska
1977 Terry Bivins, Kansas City
1976 Tommy Bartolomew, Waterloo, Iowa
1975 Odie Robertson, Littleton, Colorado
Preston Peltier in winner’s circle (Starr photo)
CHALLENGE CUP XLIII: #48 Preston Peltier
FAST DASH: #6 Dominic Ursetta
DASH: #84 Matt Zwingleberg
QUICK TIME: #48 Preston Peltier 16.325
SUNOCO Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds
Ed Vecchiarelli added to his championship season in the SUNOCO Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds by winning the non-points final race on Challenge Cup night. Justin Case from Brighton took 2nd and Cheyenne’s Darin Clark was 3rd.
Ed Vecchiarelli in winner’s circle at CNS (Starr photo)
Feature: #18 Ed Vecchierelli
QUICK TIME: 44s Clint Schubert 17.173
Great Scott’s Eatery Super Stocks
There was no stopping Chris Cox from Lochbuie in the Great Scott’s Eatery Super Stock division in 2017. Not only did he win the season championship but he also won the final non-points race on Challenge Cup XLIII. Cox caught up with race leader Broomfield’s Nic Brinlee and was able to make the pass when the two cars approached a pack of lapped traffic.
#49 Chris Cox catches #99 Nic Brinlee in lapped traffic (Starr photo)
Behind Cox and Brinlee Jonathan Lindberg finished 3rd and Thornton’s Sam Messerli was 4th. The final spot in the top 5 went to this year’s Pure Stock champion Natalie Phelps from Cheyenne.
Chris Cox in winner’s circle after taking the Super Stock feature (Starr photo)
FEATURE: #49 Chris Cox
QUICK TIME: #49 Chris Cox 19.725
Legend Cars
Action from the 1st Legend car feature (Starr photo)
It was the final points race for the Legend Car division at CNS and it would take two feature events to crown the 2017 champion. Entering the first feature Kyle Clegg from Westminster needed just 15 points to lock-up the championship. Clegg not only did that but won the feature event cruising to his 4th CNS Legends track championship.
Kyle Clegg celebrates feature number 1 win and the 2017 championship (Starr photo)
Clegg sat out the final race as he was preparing to head to the Legend Car Nationals in Las Vegas the upcoming week. That left Chris Eggleston and Colorado Springs Danny Medina to to duke it out for the win. Eggleston led most of the race until Danny made a daring late race pass for the top spot. Not to be out done Eggleston made a power move coming out of turn two on the final lap to regain the lead and the win. It seemed fitting that the final Legend Car race would be one of the most exciting races of the night after a season filled with large car counts and close racing action.
Chris Eggleston in winner’s circle after taking the second Legends feature (Starr photo)
FEATURE ONE: #66 Kyle Clegg
FEATURE TWO: #22 Chris Eggleston
QUICK TIME: #22 Chris Eggleston 18.709
CHAMPION: #66 Kyle Clegg
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: 08k Krystal Faulkingham
DEMOX
Lite Division: #00 Brian Bunn
Heavy Division: #01 Shaun Orth
Challenge Cup XLIII – Gillett Vet Clinic Super Late Models
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 48 Preston Peltier
2. 22 Chris Eggleston Thornton
3. 22T Brian Yackey
4. 84 Matt Zwingleberg Parker
5. 34k Kody Vanderwal La Salle
6. 9 Justin Simonson Wheatridge
7. 28 Dan Alamaa Colorado Springs
8. 22X Mark Jones Denver
9. 12 Bruce Yackey Greeley
10. 00 Steve Maas* Longmont
11. 32 Brett Yackey Greeley
12. 6 Dominic Ursetta Arvada
13. 1 Jay Fields
14. 19D Robert Davey Erie
15. 42 Mark Neff Westminster
16. 14A Alejandro Ortiz (R) Denver
17. 19 Matthew Martinez (R) Thornton
18. 11 Darren Robertson Westminster
19. 23 George Maldonado* CO Springs
20. 82 Michael Scott (R) Cheyenne
21. 14 Mark Bybee Littleton
22. 08 Jace Hansen Broomfield
23. 58 Kyle Ray Littleton
24. 27 Roger Avants Littleton
DNS 2W AJ Warren (R) Mead
Super Stocks
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 49 Chris Cox Lochbuie
2. 99 Nicholas Brinlee Broomfield
3. 73 Jonathan Lindberg
4. 99S Sam Messerli (R) Thornton
5. 98 Natalie Phelps
6. 43 Kody Vanderwal LaSalle
7. 22W Troy Witthar
8. 06 Jeffrey Dempewolf Hudson
9. 82E James Larsen Pueblo
10. 32 Cody Milan (R) Ft. Collins
11. 1 Scott Trantham Colo Springs
12. 21R Robert Hoard (R) Cheyenne
13. 3 Michael Cox Englewood
14. 21 Christopher Nelson Arvada
15. 02 Darrell Smith Littleton
16. 55 Damian Lockhart Arvada
17. 31 Michael Mathiesen Dacono
18. 7 David Robinson
19. 04 William Simmons II Pueblo
20. 00x Jake Fitzgerald Longmont
21. 66 Tyler Van Der Elzen
22. 29 Justin Griffin
23. 14k Kyle Shoessow
24. 29J Jimi Bastianos
25. 13 Isaac Slinker
26. 3% Will Alvarado Ft Lupton
Grand American Modifieds
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 18 Ed Vecchiarelli Brighton
2. 44 Justin Case Brighton
3. 13 Darin Clark Cheyenne
4. 44s Clint Schubert Calhan
5. 59 Charlie Wilson Primrose
6. 51 Joe Mares Jr Henderson
7. 44x B Brennenberg
8. 9 CJ Wilson
Legend Cars
FEATURE 1
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 66 Kyle Clegg Westminster
2. 22 Chris Eggleston Thornton
3. 15 Danny Medina Colorado Springs
4. 3 Wayne Barlock Jr Evans
5. 05 Nick Cooper Loveland
6. 6 Scotty Scott Arvada
7. 48 Cody Dempster Parker
8. 32 Blair Cooper Arvada
9. 98 Brent Scheidemantle Broomfield
10. 03 Darrell L Stewart Arvada
11. 16 Travis Roe Thronton
12. 51 AJ Canda Castle Rock
13. 23 Austyn Radosta Pueblo
14. 19 Larry Pachello Arvada
15. 08k Krystal Faulkingham Cheyenne
16. 46 Zach Witherwax Arvada
17. 88 Paul Himler Erie
18. 33 Dean Kallas Golden
19. 41 Gregory Lee Broomfield
20. 43 Rob Sears
21. 9 Terry McBride Edgewater
22. 25 Adam Pechman Morrison
23. 30 Darrell J Stewart Arvada
24. 13 Jason Hulvey Thornton
DNS 11D Ryan Rudolph
FEATURE 2
Pos No. Name Hometown
1. 22 Chris Eggleston Thornton
2. 15 Danny Medina Colorado Springs
3. 6 Scotty Scott Arvada
4. 05 Nick Cooper Loveland
5. 3 Wayne Barlock Jr Evans
6. 32 Blair Cooper Arvada
7. 48 Cody Dempster Parker
8. 16 Travis Roe Thronton
9. 03 Darrell L Stewart Arvada
10. 51 AJ Canda Castle Rock
11. 46 Zach Witherwax Arvada
12. 23 Austyn Radosta Pueblo
13. 08k Krystal Faulkingham Cheyenne
14. 19 Larry Pachello Arvada
15. 9 Terry McBride Edgewater
16. 11D Ryan Rudolph
17. 41 Gregory Lee Broomfield
18. 13 Jason Hulvey Thornton
19. 33 Dean Kallas Golden
20. 43 Rob Sears
21. 88 Paul Himler Erie
22. 98 Brent Scheidemantle Broomfield
23. 30 Darrell J Stewart Arvada
DNS 66 Kyle Clegg Westminster
DNS 25 Adam Pechman Morrison