1859 Vodka Brings The House Down With Outlaw Figure 8s At CNS

Alexandra Purcell
Aug 5
12 min read

August 2, 2025 - Dacono, CO

Colorado National Speedway takes pride in being the premier Figure 8 battleground of the West, and when the Outlaw Figure 8 Series rolls into town, they crank the chaos to eleven. A rain delay tried to throw a wrench in the action, but once the skies cleared, the drivers hit the track with a vengeance. The result was hell of a show for the packed house of fans who toughed it out. Backed by our killer local divisions - Late Models, Grand American Modifieds, and Bandoleros - the Outlaw F8 drivers delivered a night of high-octane insanity. Throw in a dash of Circle Drags and Demo X madness, and you've got yourself a night of unforgettable, affordable, flat-out fun.

Missed it? Catch up on all the action below!

Puzzle Effect Bandoleros

At CNS, the Bandoleros division showcases the youngest racers on the track - some just eight years old! The pint-sized drivers cut their teeth at 30 to 50 mph on a shortened course that loops through Turns 1 and 2 of the “big” track before diving into the infield and circling back around. Like the drivers themselves, the races may be small, but they pack a punch, and they’re a vital part of the CNS family.

Outlaw Dash – 12 Laps

Lillian Tuttle’s No. 61 overtook the No. 89 of Justin Barnard for the lead right away. Barnard lost even more ground, fading behind the No. 2 of Dutch Vanderwal. Tuttle continued to lead, even through a spin – but she kept her race car matted and managed to stay ahead of the pack. After a brief yellow flag, Tuttle maintained the lead, holding off the No. 60 of Liam Hammond for the victory.

Outlaw Feature – 12 Laps

The No. 95J of Jaxon Muhler took control of a decidedly chaotic race, leading Tuttle around the track – at least until an incident took him out of contention for the lead, turning the top spot over to Tuttle. Just like in the Dash, Tuttle outran Vanderwal. Meanwhile, Hammond battled Barnard for third; it would be Hammond ahead at the line, just barely, following Tuttle’s victory and Vanderwal’s second-place showing.

Bandit Dash – 10 Laps

Madison Stanley wasted no time in putting her No. 07 machine up front. The No. 23M of Izaak Mead overtook Dale Bain’s No. 26 for second place, going after Stanley. Stanley’s race car waggled, allowing Mead a shot at closing the gap. Both young drivers held it together long enough to finish with Stanley out front and Mead not far behind.

Bandit Feature – 10 Laps

While the No. 44 of Emersyn Weitzel took the lead, Mead and the No. 29 of Nora Smith duked it out for second place. Mead ditched Smith and began leaning on Weitzen for first. Stanley, meanwhile, clawed her way forward, but couldn’t find a way around. That allowed Mead the chance he needed to lay down some distance. At the end, nobody had anything for Mead, and he went on to win without much of a challenge from anyone else in the field.

Jr. Bandit Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 35 of Maverick Arechiga shot past both front-row starters to take control in short order, leaving the No. 03 of Leah Almaswari in the dust. However, Arechiga didn’t have a clear track ahead and became stuck behind slower traffic. Almaswari took advantage of the slower cars and passed Arechiga – but the two spent the rest of the race trading places, and Arechiga had the advantage at the line, winning the Dash.

Jr. Bandit Feature – 10 Laps

Almaswari quickly reeled in the No. 8 of Adalynn Smith as the two rounded on lapped traffic on just Lap 1. Almaswari put the pedal to the metal and kept Smith well in her rearview. That is, until Smith fired back and reclaimed the top spot, pulling Arechiga through with her. Arechiga bided his time and overtook Smith for the lead, while Smith claimed the runner-up position at the line.

Outlaw Dash: No. 61, Lillian Tuttle

Outlaw Feature: No. 61, Lillian Tuttle

Bandit Dash: No. 07, Madison Stanley

Bandit Feature: No. 23M, Izaak Mead

Jr. Bandit Dash: No. 35, Maverick Arechiga

Jr. Bandit Feature: No. 35, Maverick Arechiga

Outlaw Figure 8s

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 3T of Mark Tunny proved himself the car to beat right away by taking the lead, but not without pressure from the No. 15 of Jereme Wall and the No. 23 of Eddie VanMeter. Wall took possession of P2 while Mark Tunny set a blistering pace, twisting through the F8 course. Wall fended off the No. 22 of Troy Hughes, who overtook VanMeter and kept Wall locked into his sights. Hughes completed the past and shot after Mark Tunny, but Wall regrouped and reclaimed second after a brief side-by-side battle. Mark Tunny continued to lead and crossed the finish line uncontested.

Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 49 of Chris Cox and the No. 57 of Austin Tunny led the field to the green flag. While Cox got the jump, Austin Tunny answered his charge by shooting past him to lead the first lap. While they fought for the top spot, the No. 21 of Chuckie Herme and the No. 72 of Klint Keenan scrapped for second place. With just three laps in the books, slower traffic was already an issue in The X, but Austin Tunny easily navigated it. The field spread out, and nobody could touch Austin Tunny, who flashed across the line in first – driving a borrowed race car, nonetheless.

Feature – 50 Laps

After a thrilling double-wide start, VanMeter shot into the lead with Wall in hot pursuit – and in true Outlaw F8 fashion, we already had some X action on the first as a slower car made things dicey for the leaders. VanMeter opened a big lead on Wall, followed by the No. 5T of Ben Tunny, Mark Tunny, and the No. 51 of Ryan Clark in tow. Just three laps in, the field already strung out in a long line around the Figure 8 course, forcing VanMeter to navigate lapped traffic. While he made it through, Wall was able to cut the distance some. Mark Tunny and Ben Tunny battled side-by-side for P5, shooting two-wide across the line in a gaggle of four cars. VanMeter stood on it as The X became a hotbed for action just seven laps in, dodging through and avoiding slower traffic in a daring display. Slowly, he opened more of a lead on Wall, and lapped traffic was faced with the decision to slow or stand on it – and then, the inevitable happened: a caution waved for contact in the center of The X. Thankfully, both involved drivers were ok, but VanMeter’s impressive lead was neutralized.

On the restart, VanMeter shot out front again, and Wall fell in behind Mark Tunny and Hughes, hands full with keeping Ben Tunny at bay. Mark Tunny fended off a charge from Hughes as they shot through the intersection; at the next turn, Hughes pulled even with Mark Tunny, but couldn’t make it stick. Wall continued to stalk them both. On Lap 36, The X heated up again, but none of the frontrunners were daunted – they galloped through without lifting. VanMeter continued to lead, while . the No. 74 of Chris Curtis tried to crack the Top five, but could not reel in Ben Tunny. An insanely close call had the fans on their feet, setting the stage for a lap-after-lap split-second decision: hold back, or stand on it? Cox was the subject of some of those close calls, unwilling to give up any bit of real estate despite running near the back of the pack.

VanMeter still held control at the halfway point, having laid a healthy distance on Mark Tunny and Hughes. The pack was evenly spaced out, covering every corner of the F8 course in snarling engines. VanMeter almost struck the fifth-place car in The X, proving just how fast his race car was. Navigating lapped traffic also proved no problem as VanMeter built a bit of a buffer between himself and Mark Tunny. Thirty-one laps in, VanMeter showed no signs of surrender, continuing to show the way through The X. Everyone played smart and made it work, despite some close calls between the frontrunners and traffic headed the opposite direction. With 14 laps to go, VanMeter had lapped up to P5, gaining on Austin Tunny, who would have been the next car to go a lap down. Through the mess, Mark Tunny managed to cut the distance, but with 10 to go, he faced a problem – did he have enough time to make something happen?

With 8 laps to go, Mark Tunny had cut the distance to five car-lengths, and with faster lap times, the race looked like it would culminate in a fight between him and VanMeter. The next lap, he had it down to less than one car-length – he was to VanMeter’s back bumper, pulling alongside him with just a handful of laps left on the board. VanMeter just barely managed to stay ahead of him as Mark Tunny used up every lane he could to complete the pass. Before they reached the stripe, Mark Tunny had him, cutting ahead of VanMeter and settling into the lead. Then, another pair of cars struck in The X, triggering a red flag with three laps left and setting the stage for a side-by-side start with VanMeter and Mark Tunny on the front row. As soon as they saw the snap of the green, Mark Tunny took off, but they went three-wide for P2, filtering Austin Tunny into second with Wall hot on his heels as VanMeter plummeted through the field. And then, disaster – Mark Tunny’s race car suddenly slowed with an apparent mechanical issue, surrendering the lead to Austin Tunny. Wall assumed P2 as Mark Tunny struggled to refire his machine. With clear track ahead, Austin Tunny led to the checkers in an upset victory with Wall and the No. 3D of Steve Durham – another surprise frontrunner - rounding out the podium.

Quick Time: No. 3T, Mark Tunny, 23.008

Fast Dash: No. 3T, Mark Tunny

Dash: No. 57, Austin Tunny

Feature: No. 57, Austin Tunny

Late Model

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

Dan Alamaa put his bright red No. 8 machine to the point as soon as the green flag dropped, but Bryce Weinmaster’s No. 58 gave him a run for his money in the opening laps. Brandon Newey’s No. 40 sliced into P3 and then, suddenly, they were three-wide for the lead. Newey looked low but chose to back out as Alamaa and Weinmaster chopped down in front of him. Weinmaster got loose and almost slammed into his competitors, but wrangled his race car back under him as he, Alamaa, and Newey continued their three-way battle for first. Finally, Newey got the advantage with three laps to go and never looked back, taking the checkers.

Dash – 10 Laps

Ryan Newey’s No. 39 emerged as the race leader when the green dropped, taking the lead away from the No. 90 of Adam Hilton. The No. 46 of Zach Witherwax steadily marched forward after starting in the fourth row, picking off drivers one by one on his way to the front, clearly faster than the rest of the pack. While Ryan Newy battled the No. 60 of Shane Johnson, Witherwax settled in behind them, drawing a bead on the leaders as the laps ticked off. Witherwax overtook Johnson as the latter got a bit loose, opening the door for Witherwax to take on Ryan Newey for the lead. With three laps left, Witherwax snatched the lead away from Newey and pulled away, picking up the victory after a thrilling march through the field.

Feature – 30 Laps

As the No. 15 of Michael Hannah took the lead, a three-wide battle shaped up for P2 and P3. After a tense couple of corners, the No. 1 of Caleb Johnson took control of second while Weimaster slipped into P3. From second on back, a two-wide battle was the name of the game as Hannah ditched them all. Johnson pulled ahead of the pack and began leaning on Hannah, completing the pass just two corners later and taking control of the race just four laps in. Hannah regrouped, but before he could make a move, a caution waved on Lap 6, resetting the field.

Johnson restarted alongside Hannah, but Johnson shook him after the first two corners and settled in for the long haul. Once the pack built momentum, they slotted into a single file formation – at least, until Alamaa began to nip at Brandon Newey’s hold on third. Alamaa tried again, looking to the inside of Brandon Newy and bringing the battle to his door. Just as Alamaa settled into third, a multicar incident slowed the field under caution.

Johnson defended the top spot on the restart, and tried to set sail – at least until another multicar incident (and another under caution) slowed the field. The ensuing restart saw Johnson and the No. 51 of Eric Meisner, who had marched into the top three from a fourth-row start, restarting alongside each other. Johnson recaptured the lead while Newey snuck his way into second, but Meisner fired back and cut back into second, ditching Newey. From there, Meisner began to cut into Johnson’s lead. With five laps left, Johnson faced the challenge of holding off Meisner, who looked to Johnson’s inside, gaining ground in the corners, but slipping back in the straights. With one lap left, Meisner had faded out of Johnson’s orbit – and Johnson continued to lead right down to the line.

Quick Time: No. 51, Eric Meisner, 17.414

Fast Dash: No. 40, Brandon Newey

Dash: No. 46, Zach Witherwax

Feature: No. 1, Caleb Johnson

Sunoco Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

After a beautiful start, the No. 9 of CJ Wilson slung into the lead, leaving the No. 32 of Cody Milan and the No. 51 of Cade Fox to fight side-by-side for second place behind him. Their battle let Wilson get away with the lead, while the No. 21 of Ryan Jones dove to the inside of Fox, taking control of third place. Jones fired back, and the two continued to race side-by-side until the checkers fell. With Wilson well out front, Jones just snuck by Fox at the line to take P3, while Milan finished second.

Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 3 of Jeremiah Hill took the lead, but quickly found himself in the clutches of Frank Denning’s No. 90 machine after a risky three-wide move that put him past the No. 7 of David Robinson in short order. After a brief caution due to a single car incident, Hill and Denning restarted on the front row. They ditched the pack in short order, racing door-to-door for a few laps until Hill once again gained the upper hand. When the checkers dropped, it was Hill out front, having led flag-to-flag.

Feature – 30 Laps

Scott launched into the lead, leading a side-by-side pack. Fox went wheel-to-wheel with Jones for P2, while Milan slotted in behind them with the No. 69 of Forest Smith tow. Just a few laps in, the pack settled into a tentative single file line, following Scott as he set sail ahead of the rest. A single car incident inside the top five turned P3 over to Milan, who lit out after Jones. Scott maintained his lead, ditching Jones as the laps ticked off. Wilson entered the discussion and began to lean on Fox, chipping away at his hold on P3 slowly but surely while The No 66R of Eric Rhead waited in the wings for his shot to overtake them both.

Halfway through, Scott still held sole possession of the lead. Jones slipped back into the clutches of Milan and Wilson, whose nose-to-tail fight took them right to Jones’s door. Three laps past halfway, the entire field had strung out into a single-file line; Scott had to pick his way through lapped traffic, using it to his advantage as he continued to gap the field. Wilson locked onto Milan and pulled alongside him for P3 with just a few laps left; he kept his nose clean and surged onto the final podium slot as Milan tried to rally back to recapture the position. Scott saw the white flag and laid the pedal to the metal, rushing to the checkered flag ahead of Jones and Wilson.

Quick Time: No. 21, Ryan Jones, 17.348

Fast Dash: No. 9, CJ Wilson

Dash: No. 3, Jeremiah Hill

Feature: No. 6, Scotty Scott

Demo X

Demo X Lite: No. 15, Sean Frank

Demo X Heavy: No. 31, Dave Johnson

We’re ever grateful to our fans, crews, employees, drivers, and officials who make things like the Outlaw F8 series happen – and for everyone who stuck it out through the rain delay. If you weren’t able to catch us last weekend, there’s still plenty of racing left to witness. We’ve got Super Late Models, Pro Trucks, Super Stocks, and Figures 8s lined up on August 9^th, plus a double-header on August 15^th and 16^th featuring INEX Legends and the return of the CARS Tour. Grab your ticks in advance here!

OFFICIAL RESULTS:

Outlaw Figure 8 - 50 Laps