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Writer's pictureAlexandra Purcell

CHALLENGE CUP XLVII FILLED WITH DRAMA AND WEATHER AT CNS

August 17, 2022
Saturday night at CNS started out hot, but as the track plunged into darkness the temperatures dropped with the sun. Even so, the on-track action stayed hot throughout the entire night as fans enjoyed affordable family fun for the 47th running of CNS’s iconic Challenge Cup, a historic event here at CNS since its inception in 1975. Fans were treated to free exclusive event posters and an autograph session that allowed them the fantastic opportunity to connect one-on-one with friendly, generous drivers from the SLM division. a short rain shower couldn’t put a damper on the action for the Challenge Cup, which was interrupted during a short deluge, during which fans were treated to fireworks and the Super Stock race to make sure the track was dry and safe for the SLM division before allowing them to continue.

Pueblo Bank & Trust Super Stocks

Dash – 10 Laps
A wild race ensued for the SS Dash, which saw the No. 21 of Chris Nelson battling a loose race car and fending off charges from the No. 99 of Sam Messerli for the lead. On the last lap, Nelson’s No. 21 dove to the inside with Messerli’s No. 99 settling in on the outside. Messerli tapped Nelson heading to the checkered flag, causing Nelson’s race car to swing wide on his way to the Dash win. He crossed the finish line in first, keeping his race car in control until after the checkered flag, when he spun out on the front stretch. Didn’t matter – a win is a win!

Fast Dash – 10 Laps
Chris Cox’s No. 49 machine set the pace for the SS Fast Dash race. With three laps left, the No. 3 of Mike Cox and the No. 98 of Natalie Wilson made heavy contact in Turn 3 after a four-way battle for fifth place. The No. 23 of Jordan Abeyta was also damaged in the incident, which resulted in a red flag while track crews addressed debris and rocks in Turn 3, while all drivers walked away safely. Chris Cox’s No. 49 once again slipped into the lead on the restart, while the No. 9 of Brent Cave brought home second.

Feature – 25 Laps
It’s not often that the SS and SLM divisions are seen on track at the same time, but that’s exactly what fans were treated to at CNS on Saturday night, as the SS Feature was moved ahead of its scheduled time so the race cars could both help dry the track for the latter half of the Challenge Cup and give the fans a show while they were at it. The No. 4 of Chris Jordan and the No. 15 of Jereme Wall fought side-by-side for the first position while the field fanned out two-by-two behind them right off the bat, with minor contact occurring throughout the field, but the skilled drivers held it together and kept it green. The race for the lead was three-wide for a few laps, but Wall’s No. 15 slipped ahead after a hard-fought battle, while the No. 11W of Scott Long slipped into second.
Meanwhile, a battle for third shaped up between the No. 1NE of Troy Witthar and the No. 49 of Chris Cox. They closed on second place, culminating in a three-wide race, forcing Jordan Abeyta’s No. 23 to back out, giving second to Cox’s No. 49. With four laps left, the No. 21 of Nelson was turned in Turn 4, causing a caution. Cox’s No. 49 and Wall’s No. 15 led out front, while Abeyta’s No. 23 lurked and waited for the chance to lunge at the lead. The two touched, causing Wall’s No. 15 to get loose, but he held onto it as they passed the line. Cox’s No. 49 was the victor.
CNS Super Stock Battle for Lead 8-13-22

Feature: No. 49, Chris Cox

Fast Dash: No. 49, Chris Cox
Dash: No. 21, Chris Nelson
Quick Time: No. 49, Chris Cox 19.574

Elite Diesel Service Figure 8s
Dash – 12 Laps
The No. 74 of Sam Faus got out front for the F8 Dash in a hurry, but spun out from the lead, opening the door for the No. D67 of Keith Swenson. Faus’s No. 74 rejoined at the back of the field, while the pack battled three wide through the F8 course’s many turns. With five laps left, the No. 78 Kayla Martinez stalled at the entrance to Pit Road, forcing a yellow flag and bunching the field back up. On the restart, the No. D67 of Swenson and the No. 08 of Travis Sanders fought side-by-side, but Sanders swung the No. 08 high and completed the pass. A caution occurred with three laps left when the No. 3 of Joe Prante got into the wall in Turn 2. When the race restarted, Swenson guided his No. D67 back out front and capture the F8 Dash race.

Feature – 20 Laps
The F8 Feature provided thrilling, clean racing throughout. The No. 67 of Kaleigh Swenson jumped out front for the F8 Feature race. However, on the first lap, the No. 52 of Jared Wall and the No. 64 of Michael Kephart got together and were sent to the rear of the field as a result as the caution flag waved. When the race restarted, the No. 67 of Kaleigh Swenson charged ahead, but was passed by the No. 18 of Dennis Stepanich III after a short fight. The track stayed green even as the No. 74 of Faus went for a spin in Turn 3. Then, the No. 17 of Harry Livermore Jr. charged into second place, passing Kaleigh Swenson’s No. 67 with the mission of reeling in the leader. They fought hard with each other for quite a few laps, but unfortunately, their battle wasn’t allowed to come to a head, as the until the No. 13M of Isaac Martinez slowed due to a mechanical issue heading into The X with 12 laps left.
When the green flag dropped once more, the No. 18 of Stepanich and the No. 17 of Livermore went after each other for the race lead. Meanwhile, the No. 15 of Jereme Wall took advantage of the battle up front and galloped into second place. The No. 74 of Faus spun heading into The X, right in front of the leaders, who scattered and got away cleanly. Then, with eight laps left, the No. 67 of Kaleigh Swenson and the No. 92C of Chris Cox made contact in The X. When the track was clean, the No. 15 of Wall fought tooth and nail with the No. 17 of Livermore for the lead, with the white No. 15 eventually sealing the deal charging out of The X. For the last three laps, Wall’s No. 15 showed the way, opening a four car-length lead on the No. 08 of Sanders on his way to the checkered flag for the win.
Harry Livermore Jr & Jereme Wall battle Figure 8's

Feature: No. 15, Jereme Wall

Dash: No. D67, Keith Swenson

Sunoco Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds
Dash – 10 Laps
Rookie No. 99 Jordon Smith checked out with the race lead while a battle shaped up for second place behind him. He drove a clean race with a clear windshield in front of him, while the No. 22 of Travis Rudolph hung out in second place searching for an opportunity to close on the first position. Unfortunately, Rudolph’s No. 22 suddenly shot into the uppermost lane and dropped like a rock through the field, ending his hopes of getting the Dash win. Smith’s No. 99 flashed past the checkered line to take the Dash win.

Fast Dash – 10 Laps
Thankfully, the field stayed clean throughout the 10-lap Fast Dash, allowing Clegg’s red and black No. 51 to show what was capable of as it led flag to flag.

Feature – 30 Laps
The No. 9 driven by CJ Wilson shot into P1 as soon as the green flag dropped on the GAM Feature race. With just two laps completed, the No. 28 of Paul Deines went for a wild ride in Turn 2, riding the wall right in front of the Beer Garden with his rear bumper high in the air. A red flag was thrown, and Deines exited his race car under his own power. Track crews attended to the wrecked race car, and the resurgence of the green flag saw the No. 6 of Scotty Scott out front. The track stayed green even as the No. 1G of Dale Geist and the No. 37 of Landon Birney slammed together, but they were able to exit the racing surface. Then, with seven laps to go, the No. 77 of Bryan McKeever spun out while the No. 51 of Clegg closed on the No. 6 of Scott for the race lead. Ultimately, Scott’s No. 6 was crowned victorious after a well-fought battle at the front of the field.
Scotty Scott & Kyle Clegg GAM CNS 8-13-22

Feature: No. 6, Scotty Scott

Dash: No. 99, Jordon Smith
Fast Dash: No. 51, Kyle Clegg
Quick Time: No. 13, Darin Clark 17.151

Mountain States Fire Protection Super Late Models
CHALLENGE CUP XVLII – 150 Laps
The Challenge Cup boasted a stellar roster of plenty of local teams and got off to one thrilling start. Just Six laps in, the No. 07 of Daniel Mares and the No. 46 of Eric Blackard made contact in Turn 2, resulting in both of their race cars becoming hooked together, causing a caution while track crews separated them. The race went green again with Christ Eggleston’s No. 22 on the front row, while Cody Dempster’s No. 24 machine made an attempt for third place behind them. When the leaders hit lapped traffic, they navigated it cleanly. Several incidents involving only the No. 3 of John Negri III occurred, followed by the No. 2 of Royal Scott spinning by himself in Turn 2, but the track remained under green flag conditions.
Then, the No. 98 of Shannon Flick got sideways in Turn 2 just as rain began to spatter down on the south end of the racetrack, one lap before the halfway 75-lap mark. The field was paced under yellow flag for a few laps, but the rain only got worse, prompting a lengthy red flag as the SLM field was reined in on the front stretch, with the No. 08 of Jace Hansen in the lead, followed by Eggleston’s No. 22 in second. During the red flag, CNS shot off fireworks to keep the crowd entertained while the track was tried, and even enlisted the SS division to run some laps and eventually run their feature race during the break to help dry the track for the conclusion of the Challenge Cup.
Finally, the green flag waved once more for a one-lap shootout to the planned halfway break. Hansen’s No. 08 crossed the line just ahead of Eggleston’s No. 22. Per a roll of the die, the top five finishers were inverted for the second half of the race, giving the first position to Dempster’s No. 24 on the restart. He was followed by the No. 89 of Zach Morris. The race continued under green until No. 32 of Brett Yackey and the No. 24 of Dempster got together, causing Brett Yackey to chase the rear end of his No. 32 race car all the way around into Turn 2, where he finally brought it to a rest in the infield. The yellow flag flew, setting the stage for a four-lap shootout to the checkered flag. Chris Eggleston put up a valiant effort to chase down the leader but couldn’t find a way around him, and the No. 08 of Hansen was declared the winner.

Feature: No. 08, Jace Hansen

Quick Time: No. 22, Chris Eggleston 15.831


OFFICIAL RESULTS

Super Late Models - 150 Laps

  1. 08 Jace Hansen - Evans

  2. 22 Chris Eggleston - Thornton

  3. 75 Darren Robertson - Westminster

  4. 24 Cody Dempster - Parker

  5. 14 Brody Moore - Keystone

  6. 32 Brett Yackey - Greeley

  7. 3C Cassidy Hinds (R) - Arvada

  8. 12 Bruce Yackey - Greeley

  9. 05 Nick Cooper - Loveland

  10. 29 Matt Brunker - Lakewood

  11. 89 Zach Morris (R) - Greenwood Village

  12. 55 Damian Lockhart (R) - Brighton

  13. 07 Daniel Mares (R) - Aurora

  14. 2 Royal Scott - Platteville

  15. 98 Shannon Flick - CO Springs

  16. 61 Matt Martinez - Parker

  17. 23 Austyn Radosta (R) - Pueblo

  18. 3 John Negri III (R) - Byers

  19. 46 Eric Blackard (R) - Lakewood

Grand American Modifieds - 30 Laps

  1. 6 Scotty Scott (R) - Arvada

  2. 9 CJ Wilson - Penrose

  3. 89 Jacob Smith - Littleton

  4. 24 Nathan Gasser - Fort Lupton

  5. 13 Darin Clark - Cheyenne

  6. 51 Kyle Clegg - Westminster

  7. 99 Jordan Smith (R) - Morrison

  8. 41 Eric Vos - Wheat Ridge

  9. 22 Travis Rudolph - Thornton

  10. 09 Tylar Rick (R) - Mead

  11. 77 Bryan McKeever (R) - Penrose

  12. 1G Dale Geist - CO Springs

  13. 37 Landon Birney - Cheyenne

  14. 28 Paul Deines - Hudson

Super Stock - 25 Laps

  1. 49 Chris Cox - Keenesburg

  2. 15 Jereme Wall - Commerce City

  3. 23 Jordan Abeyta - Denver

  4. 11W Scott Long - Lyman, NE

  5. 1W Troy Witthar - Arvada

  6. 99 Sam Messerli - Thornton

  7. 86 Tim Coate - Highlands Ranch

  8. 7 David Robinson - Johnstown

  9. 4 Chris Jordan - Mead

  10. 99JR Ryan Raley Jr - Bennett

  11. 97 Kyle Stidham (R) - Brighton

  12. M60 Morris Christner - Elizabeth

  13. 90 Alex Rodriguez - Phoenix, AZ

  14. 6 Ben Henricks (R) - Cheyenne

  15. 53 David Noah - Lakewood

  16. 21 Chris Nelson - Arvada

  17. 9 Brent Cave - Brighton

  18. 3 Mike Cox - Englewood

  19. 98 Natalie Wilson - Cheyenne

  20. 62 Amber Giles (R) - Fort Collins

Figure 8 - 20 Laps

  1. 15 Jereme Wall - Commerce City

  2. 08 Travis Sanders - Aurora

  3. 18 Dennis Stepanich III - Thornton

  4. 92C Chris Cox - Keenesburg

  5. 17 Harry Livermore Jr - Denver

  6. 97 Adam Gastineau - Aurora

  7. 64 Michael Kephart - Commerce City

  8. 38 Cassidy Creekmore - Littleton

  9. 67 Kaleigh Swenson - Strasburg

  10. 52 Jared Wall - Commerce City

  11. 78 Kayla Martinez (R) - Denver

  12. D67 Keith Swenson - Strasburg

  13. 74 Sam Faus (R) - Lakewood

  14. 3 Joe Prante (R) - Denver

  15. 13M Isaac Martinez - Denver

  16. 20 Isaiah Proctor (R) - Arvada


Challenge Cup Winners UPDATED:

2022 Jace Hansen

2021 Kody Vanderwal

2020 Eddie Vecchiarelli

2019 Preston Peltier

2018 Brett Yackey

2017 Preston Peltier

016 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

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