CARS Tour West Builders Warehouse Season Opener Kicks Off 2026 Season At CNS

Alexandra Purcell
20 hours ago
6 min read

May 2, 2026 - Dacono, CO

Things may look new around Colorado National Speedway this season, but the action on track hasn’t changed one bit. We invited the CARS Tour West back to the asphalt to kick off our 2026 racing season, and with incredible shows from our local Pro Truck and Late Model divisions, fans were treated to one hell of a show. We even invited our fans to prove their mettle on the circle track in our Circle Drags, hosted by Willie B himself of KBPI – and a BMW took it all at the end after a tight battle with a Corvette.

If you missed it, or just want to get caught up, keep reading to get the rundown.

CARS Tour West Super Late Model Presented by Spears Manufacturing

Feature – 150 Laps

The familiar No. 82 of Michael Scott led the field to green after laying down the best lap in qualifying at 16 seconds flat. Before the pack could get much momentum behind it, though, the No. 51 of Bryce Bezanson spun out, causing the pack to scatter to avoid the carnage. When the race restarted, the No. 62, driven by Keelan Harvick, shot ahead of Scott, opening a hole that the No. 27 of for the No. 27 of Vito Cancilla complete the pass. Scott, not to be denied, fired back with a pass on the outside as the No. 11R of Darren Robertson followed in his tire tracks. The field filtered into two distinct racing lines, headed by Scott and Robertson, while Harvick fell into the clutches of the No. 24 of Cody Dempster.

As Dempster put Harvick in his rearview, Scott and Robertson scrapped for first place. Scott ultimately got away with the position as the No. 08 of Jace Hansen shot into the top five, drawing a bead on the leaders. But Dempster was on a mission, choosing the lower lane as he surged into the lead and put Scott behind him. Scott plummeted like a rock through the pack, falling out of contention for the lead as Dempster took control of the race. Scott fell to the tail end of the line.

Dempster opened a five car-length lead over Hansen. Meanwhile, two new drivers – the No. 91 of Dylan Bates and the No. 17 of Taylor Mayhew – shouldered their way inside the top five. Bates made short work of Robertson for third, then Hansen, and sighted Dempster as Scott went a lap down. Bates and Dempster turned the top of the leaderboard into their battleground, but it was short-lived as Bates lunged into the lead and gapped the field without breaking a sweat.

For a while, the pack settled in, focused less on advancing position and more on tire management. Hansen stepped out of line to take P2 from Dempster, though, and the two made light contact as Dempster refused to go down easy. That gave Hansen the advantage as Dempster tried to clear Scott’s race car, now a lap down. Harvick reinserted himself into the conversation as lap traffic created an obstacle for the leaders, and all the while, Bates held control without any pressure from the pack.

On Lap 100, though, Bates’ lead evaporated as a caution waved for a fuel break. That put Bates and Hansen on the front row. Hansen paced Bates for a few corners before he took the top spot, demoting Bates to P2. Dempster fell back from the leaders and into Harvick’s orbit, trying to fend Harvick off as he knocked on the door to the top three. Up front, Bates looked to Hansen’s inside, which allowed Mayhew to cut the distance. Bates cleared Hansen and left him at Mayhew’s mercy. Mayhew worked on him for a few laps before completing the pass, but then, a single car incident drew the yellow flag. Bates and Mayhew led to the starting zone, and when he saw the green flag, Mayhew chopped down on Bates and claimed the lead. From there, Mayhew set sail, leading a single-file line of four cars while the pack fanned out into a three-wide battle behind.

Mayhew maintained his comfortable lead until the checkers dropped, showing Bates across the line. Hansen wrapped up third, while Harvick brought home fourth place. Kody Vanderwal’s No. 43 rounded out the top five.

QUICK TIME: No. 82, Michael Scott, 16.000

Feature: No. 17, Taylor Mayhew

Matco Tools Pro Trucks

Feature - 30 Laps

Fifteen trucks followed the No. 33 of Tyler Davis and the No. 16 of Travis Roe to the green flag. The No. 9 of Curtis Heldenbrand thought about taking it three-wide before backing out, though. Roe tried to get away with the lead but couldn’t shake Davis, racing side-by-side for a few laps before he finally settled into a groove and took off. Davis fell to the No. 22 of Brian Yackey while Heldenbrand and the No. 85 of Jeff Walbaum clawed at each other for fourth.

Roe continued to show the way, but not without pressure from Yackey, who just about wore out Roe’s bumper trying to get around him. Yackey poked his nose up high but couldn’t make it stick. Then, suddenly, the game changed with five laps left. The No. 1F of Happy Ferree launched his truck into third place, galloping past Walbaum and herding the leaders toward the tail end of the field. Dodging slower traffic, Roe kept his nose clean and deftly navigated the pack, though Yackey and Ferree put pressure on him. At the line, though, it was all about Roe.

QUICK TIME: No. 22, Brian Yackey, 17.147

FEATURE: No. 16, Travis Roe

ClearShift Late Models

Feature 30 Laps

Lap 1 went to the No. 99 of Tessa Marine, who cleared the No. 39 of Ryan Newey and the No. 51 of Eric Meisner, but not for long. Meisner found some real estate in the upper groove and cruised past, but Marine answered with a small charge back to the inside, though she couldn’t make much of it. Meisner checked out once he had the upper groove to himself, while the No. 15 of Michael Hannah assumed control of third. Marine rallied back and tried to cut into Meisner’s lead, but Meisner kept the distance between them comfortable for a few laps until Marine took a shot at him again. Meisner managed to maintain the lead while juggling lapped traffic, doing his best not to lose any ground despite slower cars in front of him.

When a caution waved for a single car incident, the field was reset, putting Marine on equal footing with Meisner. But she just didn’t have anything for him on the restart, and instead had to fend off Hannah while Meisner reassumed control of the race. But just as he was trying to put some distance on Marine, a single car spun out on the racing surface, triggering a caution. Meisner easily launched back into the lead when the green flag waved as the No. 1 of Caleb Johnson took P3 away from Marine. Hannah sliced past Marine and shot after Meisner, giving it everything he had as he tried to hunt down the leader in the closing laps. He ran out of time, though – and it was Meisner up front when the checkered flag dropped, deflecting a charge from Hannah in Turn 1 to make it happen.

QUICK TIME: No. 1, Caleb Johnson, 17.541

Feature: No. 51, Eric Meisner

We are just getting started here at CNS, and we can’t do it without our fans, partners, drivers, crews, and personnel. Next up, double features for the Grand American Modifieds, Super Stocks, Pure Stocks, and Figure 8s lined up, so head out this Saturday to check us out in person. Click Here to purchase tickets.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

CARS Tour West Super Late Model - 150 Laps