September 3rd, 2023 (Dacono, CO)
The annual Legend Invasion reached its zenith on Sunday, September 3rd, 2023 at Colorado National Speedway, marking not only the conclusion of an amazing event but our final unique double-header feature of the 2023 racing season. Rain did little to deter the racers and fans alike from heading out, ready to celebrate Labor Day with the most exciting short track racing in the West (or, arguably, the entire country!) compliments of Legends, Super Stocks, Bandoleros & Trains. Fans were even able to test their mettle (and metal) on track themselves in our Circle Drags to determine whose daily driver was the fastest, and the animated crowd was on its feet almost the entire night to see all our drivers rally.
AC Transmissions Legends
Fast Dash – 15 Laps
There were quite a few race cars bearing the No. 78 throughout our Legend weekend, but only one was the Fast Dash winner. In fact, two of them started on the front row: the No. 78X Of Darrel J. Stewart and the No. 78C of Colton Crocker. The No. 9X of Tyler Reif entered the mix and took it three wide for the lead, putting the No. 78X of Stewart out front. They went side by side as the No. 19B of Brenden Ruzbarsky nosed into the pack, putting pressure on Stewart for the top spot. However, Stewart’s bid for the win would be cut short when his race car began leaking fluid that caused the racing surface to become slick. He retired, putting Crocker’s No. 78C and Ruzbarsky on the front row. Kyle Clegg’s No. 66 machine shot through the pack to track down the leader, Crocker, but couldn’t find a way around him as he was locked in a fight with Ruzbarsky. Crocker went on to win.
Dash – 15 Laps
With seven Fast Feature transfer spots and a $300 prize on the line, the No. 98H of Samuel Haugen took the lead early. Two cars tangled on Lap 2, throwing a yellow, but it was quickly dealt with and Haugen took control once more. He stretched out his lead, while second place was a fight between the No. 14 of Ayden Brockhouse and the No. 1X of Ryan Land, allowing the No. 57 of Jarrett Scarberry to close on them both. Scarberry took advantage of a restart to take it three-wide for first, slicing to the inside of Haugen to take the lead. Another restart put the two racers on the front row again, but it would be Scarberry ahead at the line.
Feature – 25 Laps
The No. 1 of Land proved to be a force to be reckoned with at the drop of the green, as he led the No. 17 of Jeremy Krueger and the No. 95 of Jessilyn Dike. Krueger and Dike made contact a few laps in, killing Krueger’s momentum and causing him to drop quite a few spots. Dike held onto her race car, although Land was able to ditch her and improve his lead. Then, Dike had to fend off the No. 14 Brockhouse but failed; he took P2 away and Dike continued to fall back as the No. 75X of Makenna Crocker also slipped by. She put pressure on Brockhouse for second, but then, Brockhouse’s car got away from him and he spun without help and surrendered second. Up front, Land drove a clean race and flashed across the line first, claiming the trophy and the $500 purse.
Fast Feature – 50 Laps
Staring down a $3,000 purse, 24 Legends followed the No. 4R of Tanner Reif and the No. 66 of Clegg to the green flag, but before they had a chance to get up to speed, several cars got together in Turn 1. A complete restart gave them another shot, although the leaders couldn’t quite get going, prompting another try with a new front row, this time with the No. 9X of Tyler Reif and the No. 15 of Danny Medina showing the way. The green flag was all about Tyler Reif, leading Tanner Reif and Clegg, who galloped into third and put Medina behind him. Chris Eggleston, meanwhile, driving a backup No. 22 car after flipping on Saturday night, fell off the pace. Clegg claimed second place, demoting Tanner Reif, who fell even further back to sixth place. The field became strung out, single file while Tyler Reif continued to lead. Medina held down third, under pressure from Ruzbarsky, but couldn’t make it work; meanwhile, Eggleston stalled in Turn 4, ultimately causing a caution as he failed to refire. The restart put Clegg and Tyler Reif together up front, although Clegg got freight-trained back to fourth as Medina and Colton Crocker passed him. Another yellow for a single-car incident saw Tyler Reif and Medina start up front; Reif claimed the top position and was tailed by the No. 78X of Darrell J. Stewart. Crocker put his No. 78C to the inside of Reif for the lead, but spun out. At the same time, the No. 03 of Darrell L. Stewart tangled with Medina, and both race cars found the retaining wall with force. Thankfully, under red flag, all drivers were attended to and able to exit their vehicles. Crocker pulled off, surrendering valuable positions.
Reif had to defend the lead again on a restart, this time against Stewart in the No. 78X – until the No. 9X machine gave up, coming to a sudden stop in Turn 2. Clegg found his way back to the front row for the restart, right next to Stewart, who got the jump and left Clegg to fight with Cade Fox’s No. 88F for second place while he took off with the lead. Scotty Scott’s No. 6 machine became a factor, passing Fox and lighting after Clegg and Stewart. Fox continued to lose ground, passed by Ruzbarsky and others, until Crocker’s No. 78C, recently returned to the racing surface, got into several competitors and caused a yellow again. Stewart deflected advances from Clegg when the race went green again, and they fanned three-wide for third place behind him. Stewart continued to lead, keeping a healthy distance on Scott and Clegg. Clegg worked on Scott for a few laps, then took P2 away and began his mission to conquer the lead anew. However, Ruzbarsky nosed into the fight for second, trapping Scott and Clegg into another three-way battle. He passed Clegg for third, but couldn’t catch Scott, and Stewart enjoyed a comfortable lead as he threw the No. 78X under the checkers to collect the generous purse and gleaming trophy.
Quick Time: No. 78C, Colton Crocker, 18.266
Fast Dash: No. 78C, Colton Crocker
Dash: No. 57, Jarrett Scarberry
Feature: No. 1, Ryan Land
Fast Feature: No. 78X, Darrell J. Stewart
Pueblo Bank & Trust Super Stocks
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
The No. 32Y of Brett Yackey snatched the lead from Jereme Wall’s No. 15, bringing Chris Cox’s No. 49 along with him. Yackey was able to cling to his lead despite advances from Cox, and finally put healthy distance between the two race cars and checked out. However, Cox got to work cutting that distance, while Jordan Abeyta’s No. 23 and Alex Rodriguez’s No. 90 scrambled for fourth place. Abeyta held on, while Scott Long’s No. 11W worked on Rodriguez for fifth place. With laps left, Cox had only two car-lengths to overcome – and he did, getting right to Yackey’s bumper and just about wearing it out. Yackey maintained his position and scored the win.
Dash – 10 Laps
Ian Clark’s No. 82 took control of Lap 1, while the No. 88 of Jacob Poole tailed him in second after a short battle with the No. 21 of Chris Nelson. Clark continued to lead, although Nelson kept after him, staying within striking distance as the laps ticked down. Their battle culminated in Nelson snagging the lead by a nose, before Clark got into him, putting them both off the pace and allowing Poole to take the lead. Nelson was unable to get his race car restarted and Poole won under yellow-checkered conditions.
Feature – 25 Laps
Hoping to start off where he left it, Poole was on the front row for the Super Stock Feature, leading over David Robinson’s No. 7 and Brandon Claiborn’s No. 13. However, Claiborn got loose, sweeping Nelson into the wreck along with Rodriguez and Abeyta. Nelson and Rodriguez were so damaged, their race cars had to be hauled off the track. Poole restarted on the pole, although the No. 9 of Brent Cave was thrown into second place in short order, using the outside line to make the pass. Cave continued his forward march, taking the lead in Turn 1, while the No. 97 driven by Kyle Stidham took over P2 and brought Cox and Yackey along with him. They lined Stidham up and put him behind them, and he surrendered to fourth place. Cox got on Cave’s bumper and earned the lead after a hard-fought battle. Meanwhile, Abeyta and Long, having started deep in the pack, had navigated back toward the front.
Yackey wasn’t keen on letting Cox run off with the lead, using the front end of his car to use up Cox’s rear bumper. The two bounced together but separated and stayed on one another for the lead. Yackey completed the pass, but Cox lined him up and delivered a hard tap to the rear end of the No. 32Y. Bumper to bumper, they flew around the track ahead of the pack, while Wall’s No. 15 machine took no prisoners in his mission back to the front. Yackey maintained his position at the top of the scoreboard over Cox, although he had to chase the rear of his No. 32Y and slowed slightly, allowing Cox the opening he needed to take it side-by-side with him. With two laps left, Cox pulled away from Yackey, who tried to move him in Turn 3 in a last-ditch attempt at the win. Cox held onto his race car as it stepped out, gathering it back up and breaking across the line for the Feature win.
Quick Time: No. 32Y, Brett Yackey, 19.290
Fast Dash: No. 32Y, Brett Yackey
Dash: No. 88, Jacob Poole
Feature: No. 49, Chris Cox
Puzzle Effect Bandoleros
Bandit Dash - 8 Laps
pyn Lange put her No. 12 machine after Austin Steinke’s No. 88A for the lead immediately after the Dash started. Steinke spun out, and Lange took over, leading with several car-lengths between her race car and the No. 5 of Reagan Fruge. Fruge tried to close on her, getting within a few feet of taking away her position. However, Lange would not be denied and led to the line.
Feature - 10 Laps
Lange started the Feature beside Peyton Opperman’s No. 23, jumping to the lead, while Fruge put himself on a mission to get to the front after starting in the rear of the field. Lange was able to extend her lead over Opperman, and Fruge navigated around Steinke, who had spun out. She deftly wove around lapped traffic, and Opperman went for a spin, letting Fruge take over second place. Lange swept the Feature and dominated the weekend’s Bandit division races.
Outlaw Dash - 8 Laps
Wyatt Dent’s No. 68 flashed under the green, leading Lap 1 of the Dash with the No. 08 of Tanner McKim hot on his heels. Lilly Tuttle tried to take away second place from him, but couldn’t make it stick, and McKim continued to hold down second, until the two race cars clashed and spun. Dent’s green race car led by a healthy margin to the checkered flag.
Feature - 10 Laps
Behind McKim and the No. 38 of Javon Barnard, Dent went for a spin on the backstretch on the first lap of the Feature, collecting the No. 89 of Justin Barnard and the No. 21 of Madilyn Lange. Justin Barnard suffered damage and could not restart. Javon Barnard started next to McKim, the latter of which spun out but pulled it together and continued. Dent chased the leaders to get his lap back, while Javon Barnard showed the way at the front and crossed the line first.
Bandit Dash: No. 12, Aspyn Lange
Bandit Feature: No. 12, Aspyn Lange
Outlaw Dash: No. 68, Wyatt Dent
Outlaw Feature: No. 38, Javon Barnard
Witthar Racing Trains
Feature – 5 Laps (8 scheduled)
The No. 151 Crazy Train lead early, while the No. 3 Anger Management and No. 80HD SNAFU battled for second. The No. 86 Last Call tried to keep them all within reach, although Crazy Train took off around the Figure 8 course. However, on Lap 5, Crazy Train struck the No. 01 Dukes of Hazzard train in The X. Crazy Train spun and the rear car ended up on its side, prompting a lengthy cleanup and ultimately making the race official, with Anger Management out front.
Feature: No. 3, Anger Management
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Legends FAST - 50 Laps
78X Darrell J Stewart - Westminster
6 Scotty Scott - Arvada
19B Brenden Ruzbarsky - Tracy, CA
66 Kyle Clegg - Westminster
4R Tanner Reif - Henderson, NV
74 Trayc Walker-Scott (R) - Parker
88F Cade Fox (R) - Wellington
45 Cole Tuttle - Denver
57 Jarret Scarberry (R) - Denver
78G Gracie Crocker - Brighton
31 Lonnie Hitchsteth - Chandler, AZ
28P Adam Powers - Silverthorne
38 Garrett Wilson - Platteville
48 Preston Nakayama - Loveland
98H Samuel Haugen (R) - Centennial
01 Gary Land - Littleton
78C Colton Crocker - Brighton
68 Wyatt Dent (R) - Brighton
4 Dillon Foster - Westminster
9X Tyler Reif - Henderson, NV
03 Darrell L Stewart - Arvada
15 Danny Medina - CO Springs
04 Natalie Foster - Westminster
22 Chris Eggleston - Erie
Legend - 25 Laps
1 Ryan Land - Littleton
75X Makenna Crocker - Brighton
95 Jessilyn Dike - Westminster
62 Erik Bain (R)
19 Dominic Moss (R) - Arvada
35 Andrew Lee (R) - Fountain
14 Jake Nuttall - Parker
9 Terry McBride - Edgewater
28A Elijah Anadon (R) - CO Springs
78 Ashlyn Himler - Erie
26 David Anadon - CO Springs
17 Jeremy Krueger - Arvada
34 Patty Sylvester (R) - Greeley
8X Jason Schmerse DNS 27 Brian Harlow - CO Springs DNS 32 Cody Milan - Fort Collins
Super Stocks - 25 Laps
49 Chris Cox - Brighton
32Y Brett Yackey - Greeley
9 Brent Cave - Brighton
97 Kyle Stidham - Brighton
15 - Jereme Wall - Commerce City
11W Scott Long Lymon, NE
23 Jordan Abeyta - Denver
M60 Morris Christner - Elizabeth
82 Ian Clark - Wheat Ridge
7 David Robinson - Johnstown
88 Jacob Poole - Evans
21 Chris Nelson - Arvada
13 Brandon Claiborn - Lafayette
90 Alex Rodriguez - Phoenix, AZ
62 Amber Giles - Fort Collins
Bandolero Outlaws - 10 Laps
38 Javon Barnard - Northglenn
21 Madilyn Lange - Wheatland, WY
61 Lilly Tuttle - Denver
68 Wyatt Dent - Brighton
60 Liam Hammond
08 Tanner McKim - Berthoud
89 Justin Barnard - Northglenn
Bandolero Bandits - 10 Laps
12 Aspyn Lange - Wheatland, WY
5 Reagan Fruge
23 Peyton Opperman - Littleton
44 Emersyn Weitzel
88A Austin Steinke - Severence
98 Kyleigh Novak - Brighton
07 Madison Stanley - Thornton
95J Jaxson Muhler - Brighton
Trains - 8 Laps
3 Anger Management - Henderson
80HD SNAFU - Hudson
01 Dukes of Hazard - Hudson
41G J&H Livestock's Funny Farm
151 Crazy Train - Commerce City
86 Last Call - Commerce City