05/08/23 ~ Dacono, CO
Close racing was the name of the game on Saturday, May 6th, 2023 at Colorado National Speedway, and the event certainly lived up to its name as drivers battled it out during the Yukon Axe Chopping Fenders night, our second weekend of the season. Cloud cover meant the weather was perfect for our fans, and the track was cool, serving as the perfect battleground for the GTI Services Late Models, Matco Tools Pro Trucks, AC Transmission Legends and Puzzle Effect Bandoleros.
Matco Tools Pro Trucks
Dash – 10 Laps
Right at the start, the PT field got bunched up heading into Turn 2, with the No. 28 of Brian Weinmaster in the middle of a three-wide battle for the lead with the No. 85 of Jeff Walbaum up high. Walbaum’s No. 85 would go on to win the Dash by barely a nose over the No. 16 of Travis Roe at the start/finish line after a three-wide battle with No. 28 truck of Weinmaster.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
Another close race took place in the PT Fast Dash. This time, it was all about the No. 9 of Curtis Heldenbrand and the No. 22 of Brian Yackey, while the No. 43 of Kody Vanderwal took control of third place behind them. At the line, it was impossible to tell who’d made it ahead – even the scoring system had both the No. 22 of Yackey and the No. 9 of Heldenbrand dead even in a tie.
Feature - 30 Laps
Vanderwal’s No. 43 shot ahead of the pack in a hurry, while the No. 22 of Yackey tried to rein him in. Things stayed clear until about halfway through the race, when the No. 50 truck of Tyler Wiggans spun out in Turn 2, but thankfully he was able to gather it back up and continue without issue. Then, another incident unfolded with just six laps left. The No. 9 of Heldenbrand was involved, as was the No. 16 of Travis Roe, and Heldenbrand was sent to the rear as a result. Then, on the ensuing caution, a thick layer of oil was found on the racing surface, prompting officials to red flag the race to determine which truck was the culprit. Once the offending race truck was found, the race was able to restart.
Vanderwal’s No. 43 truck got out front again on the restart, while the No. 7 of Adam Deines looked to the inside of the No. 22 of Yackey for second place. They touched, but managed to keep their trucks under control. Behind them, a battle for fourth place shaped up between the No. 16 of Travis Roe and the No. 34 of Rudy Vanderwal. While Kody Vanderwal’s No. 43 led the field across the start/finish line, Yackey’s No. 22 secured second place, the No. 7 of Deines sorted out into third, followed by the No. 16 of Roe and the No. 33 of Tyler Davis.
Dash: No. 85, Jeff Walbaum
Fast Dash: No. 9, Curtis Heldenbrand
Feature: No. 43, Kody Vanderwal
Quick Time: No. 43, Kody Vanderwal 16.908
GTI Services Late Models
Dash – 10 Laps
The No. 48 of Mikey Blackard started the LM Dash with the No. 5 of Del Trantham Jr. beside him on the front row. The two drivers fought cleanly throughout most of the race, even as the No. 30 of Jeremiah Hill went around by himself on the back stretch, staying low and clearing the leaders. Blackard’s No. 48 stayed ahead of the pack, and he secured his first Dash win of the 2023 LM season.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
The No. 8 of Dan Alamaa easily sliced ahead of the No. 21 of Mike Gallegos for the LM Fast Dash, and the pack strung out two-by-two behind him as they divebombed through Turn 3. However, nobody had anything for the No. 8 of Alamaa, and he fell into a comfortable lead and crossed the line solidly ahead of the field.
Feature – 30 Laps
The No. 98 of Lee Kemmit and the No. 51 of Eric Meisner led the field to the green flag for the LM Feature race. Kemmit’s No. 98 got out front in a hurry, pulling the No. 51 of Meisner behind him, while the No. 8 of Alamaa crept into the picture from a fourth-place start and searched for his opening to have a go at the leaders. Just seven laps in, the No. 96 of Jeremy Jackson and the No. 63 of James Starcher got together, shearing sheet metal off both race cars and causing a caution. On the restart, Alamaa’s No. 8 completed the pass for second place and set out after Kemmit’s No. 98 out front, finding speed in the high line to the outside of the leader.
While the No. 98 of Kemmit and the No. 8 of Alamaa did battle up front, the No. 31 of Rick Smith waited for his opportunity to pounce, but the leaders stayed clean. For 18 laps, Kemmit’s No. 98 and Alamaa’s No. 8 stayed neck-and-neck around CNS. Alamaa finally threw the No. 8 machine ahead of the No. 98 in Turn 3 on the last lap, beating Kemmit to the checkers for the LM Feature win in thrilling fashion.
Dash: No. 48, Mikey Blackard
Fast Dash: No. 8 Dan Alamaa
Feature: No. 8, Dan Alamaa
Quick Time: No. 51, Eric Meisner 17.310
AC Transmission Legends
Dash – 10 Laps
Rookie Dillyn Kellogg’s No. 33 and Nick Gunther’s No. 56 took the green flag on the front row. However, they were no match for the No. 75 of Austin Hackenberg, though Gunther threw the No. 56 after him at the line. Hackenberg’s No. 75 took home the trophy.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
The No. 03 of Darrell Stewart found himself under fire from the No. 21 of Ryan Jones and the No. 22 of Chris Eggleston almost immediately. A spin caused a caution about halfway through the race, and the No. 22 of Eggleston took off with the lead while the No. 66 of Kyle Clegg put pressure on him. They settled in, and Eggleston’s No. 22 took the win.
Feature – 20 Laps
Right away, you could almost throw a blanket over second through sixth place as the No. 01 of Gary Land took control of the field. However, just a few laps later, the No. 33 of Kellogg got around the No. 01 of Land, pulling the No. 57 of Jarret Scarberry through into second place along with him. The No. 33 of Kellogg and the No. 57 of Scarberry fought hard for the race lead until a spin in Turn 4 caused a caution. The No. 01 of Land found himself tangling with the No. 11 of Jeremy Lange, and Lang was sent to the rear of the field.
With just three to go, the No. 01 of Land recovered to run with the lead pack, jostling with the No. 48 of Preston Nakayama. This allowed the No. 57 of Scarberry to get away with the lead. Scarberry was all smile after winning in the No. 57 machine – and he had good reason, since this was his maiden Legends feature, as well as his maiden Legends feature win. Nakayama’s No. 48 finished second, and Land’s No. 01 recovered to finish third.
Fast Feature – 25 Laps
The No. 21 of Ryan Jones, the No. 66 of Clegg, and the No. 78C of Colton Crocker went three-wide at the drop of the green, splitting the No. 21 of Jones and slamming the door on him. This allowed the No. 66 of Clegg to get out front, but the No. 78C of Crocker certainly didn’t let him get away with the lead without a fight. As the track became cooler, the race cars became looser, proving a challenge as the laps ticked down. They settled into an uneasy single-file line until a single car incident in Turn 3 resulted in a caution. With eight laps left, the ensuing restart saw the No. 66 of Clegg and the No. 22 of Eggleston trying to get the best of one another – until a multicar pileup occurred in Turn 2.
In this wreck, the No. 27 of Brian Harlow got turned over and flipped in Turn 2 before landing right side up. The No. 56 of Nick Gunther was also involved, as was the No. 98H of Samuel Haugen, among others. The tangle was sorted out, and all drivers were able to exit their vehicles under their own power.
The Legends weren’t done getting into each other yet. Once again, on the restart, a multicar wreck occurred. The No. 21 of Jones pushed hard into the No. 66 of Clegg, forcing Clegg to retire. The race restarted with a green-white-checker finish on deck. The No. 22 of Eggleston led the No. 21 of Jones across the finish line, granting Eggleston a hard-fought Legend feature win.
Dash: No. 75, Austin Hackenberg
Fast Dash: No. 22, Chris Eggleston
Feature 1: No. 57, Jarret Scarberry
Feature 2: No. 22, Chris Eggleston
Quick Time: No. 22, Chris Eggleston 18.238
Puzzle Effect Bandoleros
In the Bandit class, the No. 12 of Aspyn Lange led a chaos-filled race through the small racetrack in Turns 1 and 2, a special win for her that she dedicated to her grandfather. The rest of the field gained valuable racing experience and completed the race without major incident.
Dash: No. 89, Justin Barnard
Feature: No. 12, Aspyn Lange
The Outlaw class saw a familiar face emerge to claim the feature victory – the No. 68 machine of Wyatt Dent made smart moves to cross the line ahead of everyone else, picking up right where he left off in the 2022 season.
Dash: No. 68, Wyatt Dent
Feature: No. 68, Wyatt Dent
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Matco Tools Pro Trucks - 30 Laps
43 Kody Vanderwal - LaSalle
22 Brian Yackey - Greeley
7 Adam Deines - Longmont
16 Travis Roe - Thornton
33 Tyler Davis - Thornton
34 Rudy Vanderwal - LaSalle
28 Brian Weinmaster - Brighton
50 Tyler Wiggans - CO Springs
85 Jeff Walbaum - Brighton
9 Curtis Heldenbrand - Firestone
71 Tim Duvall - Denver
08 Krystal Faulkingham - Westminster
88S Brad Skufca (R) - Greeley
88 Paul Himler - Erie
5W Troy Witthar - Westminster
3C Cassidy Hinds - Arvada
GTI Services Late Models - 30 Laps
8 Dan Alamaa - CO Springs
98 Lee Kemmit - Brighton
31 Rick Smith - Gering, NE
51 Eric Meisner - Brighton
6 Tommy Roe - Thornton
99 Tessa Marine (R) - Littleton
21 Mike Gallegos - Aurora
94 Kyle Morse - Peyton
5 Del Trantham Jr - Canon City
58 Bryce Weinmaster - Brighton
48 Mikey Blackard - Hays, KS
30 Jeremiah Hill - Trinidad
116 Adam Kimler (R) - CO Springs
7 Ethan Sluder (R) - Hudson
A51 Matthew Hill - Brighton
17X Mariah Boudrieau - CO Springs
21H Robert Hoard (R) - Cheyenne, WY
96 Jeremy Jackson (R) - Denver
63 James Starcher (R) - Scottsbluff, NE
AC Transmission Legends FAST - 25 Laps
22 Chris Eggleston - Erie
21 Ryan Jones - Arvada
03 Darrell L. Stewart - Arvada
6 Scotty Scott - Arvada
29 David Johnson - Denver
04 Natalie Foster - Westminster
78C Colton Crocker - Brighton
12 Bryanna Bruce - Wheatland, WY
1 Ryan Land - Littleton
75 Austin Hackenberg - Greeley
56 Nick Gunther - CO Springs
98H Samuel Haugen (R) - Centennial
88F Cade Fox (R) - Wellington
66 Kyle Clegg - Westminster
32 Cody Milan - Fort Collins
99 Tessa Marine - Littleton
38 Garrett Wilson - Platteville
27 Brian Harlow - CO Springs
74 Trayc Walker-Scott (R) - Parker DQ 18 JJ Sanders - Aurora
AC Transmission Legends - 20 Laps
Jarret Scarberry (R) - Denver
48 Preston Nakayama - Loveland
01 Gary Land - Littleton
33 Dillyn Kellogg (R) - Denver
73 Mike Markison (R) - Fort Collins
11 Jeremy Lange (R) - Wheatland, WY
19 Dominic Moss (R) - Arvada
17 Jeremy Krueger (R) - Arvada
95 Jessilyn Dike - Westminster
32M Randy Milan - Fort Collins
78 Ashlyn Himler - Erie
35 Andrew Lee (R) - Fountain
34 Patty Sylvester (R) - Greeley
8 Jason Schmerse DNS 43 Robert Sears - Firestone DNS 41 Greg Lee - Broomfield
Puzzle Effect Bandolero Outlaws - 10 Laps
68 Wyatt Dent - Brighton
38 Javon Barnard - Northglenn
9 Cody Bergren - Westminster
21 Madilyn Lange - Wheatland, WY
61 Lilly Tuttle - Denver
08 Tanner McKim - Berthoud
33 Dillyn Kellogg - Denver
Puzzle Effect Bandolero Bandits - 10 Laps
12 Aspyn Lange - Wheatland, WY
23 Peyton Opperman - Littleton
95J Jaxson Muhler - Brighton
44 Emersyn Weitzel
7 Madison Stanley - Thornton
29 Nora Smith - Littleton
98 Kyleigh Novak - Brighton
89 Justin Barnard - Northglenn
18 Jake Boren - Pueblo West