Gilpin Casino & Lodge Casino Winner’s Club Clash Full Of Thrills & Spills At CNS

Alexandra Purcell
1 hour ago
10 min read

May 17, 2025 ~ (Dacono, CO)

To call the races at Colorado National Speedway on May 17th, 2025 “exceptional” would be an understatement. The Gilpin Casino and Lodge Casino Winner’s Club Clash proved that CNS is the most exciting short track this side of the Mississippi once again, with a series of wild races and exciting finishes. We had side-by-side action. We had dramatic crashes. We had the fans on their feet. The Wingless Sprints made one of their rare appearances, treating fans to a one-of-a-kind show on the asphalt. To top things off, the Demo X drivers wrapped up the night with a series of thrilling races and three rollover crashes (all drivers were ok!), crowning Ty Cowell as the Demo X Heavy victor and Jayce Prante as the winner of the Demo X Lite.

If you missed the action, want to relive it, or just want to get caught up on the drama, check out the recap below.

AC Transmission Legends

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

The Legends attempted to take the green flag for their Dash but were reeled back in for another attempt as the No. 6 of Scotty Scott jumped the start. The second start didn’t go so well, either, when the field got stacked up and sent the No. 12 of Bryanna Bruce for a spin. Finally, on the third try, they got up to speed, and Scott surged to the lead with pressure from the No. 68 of Wyatt Dent. Colton Crocker’s No. 78C didn’t let them get away, grabbing the lead on Lap 2. Uncontested, he showed the way to the checkers.

Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 27 of Brian Harlow took the lead away from polesitter No. 95 Jessilyn Dyke in a hurry, although before they could get up to speed, the No. 19A of Austin Nester spun and triggered a caution. Harlow reclaimed the lead – at least until the yellow waved over a three-car incident on Lap 2. After a brief caution, Harlow once again defended his lead, but found himself under fire from the No. 28P of Adam Powers. Powers battled Harlow side-by-side for a few laps before clawing his way to the top spot. The No. 27C of Steven Nester slammed into Austin Nester as the latter spun again on Lap 6, triggering a red flag to clean up. As the race was approaching its time limit, the field was turned loose for a green-white-checkered finish. Powers once again took the lead and fended off a charge from the No. 17 of Jeremy Krueger to win the Dash.

Fast Feature – 25 Laps

Led by the No. 03 of Darrell Stewart and Scott, the field took the green flag and immediately engaged in close two-wide racing behind Stewart. Bruce lined up Scott and passed him with Dent in the rearview as Scott plummeted through the pack. Dent took second from Bruce just four laps in. Behind them, Crocker was a man on a mission, steadily picking off competitors on his way to the front. He made short work of Bruce and forced his way into P3 as the leaders caught the tail end of the pack. Crocker put pressure on Dent and passed him, sliding into second and filling Stewart’s rearview. Stewart swung three-wide to pass some lapped traffic, but when the No. 38 of Garrett Wilson and the No. 10 of Ty Brown tangled on the front stretch. Brown went for a wild ride, going wheels-up and slamming into the fence. Officials threw a red flag to address the incident, temporarily halting the race. Brown was able to exit the car under his own power.

When the race restarted, the top five elected to take the bottom lane at the choose cone. Stewart took the lead as Crocker filtered into P2 with Scott hot on his heels. However, with some momentum behind him, Crocker galloped into the lead and easily gapped the field. As Stewart faded, Dent passed him and took second away. They began to close on lapped traffic, posing a challenge for Crocker. He was able to put three lapped cars between himself and Dent, creating a buffer. The No. 45 of Cole Tuttle, who had been quietly stalking the leaders, overtook Stewart for the final podium position. Crocker continued to lead and finished well ahead of the second-place Dent, grabbing his second win of the season.

Quick Time: No. 45, Cole Tuttle, 18.555

Fast Dash: No. 78C, Colton Crocker

Dash: No. 28P, Adam Powers

Fast Feature: No. 78C, Colton Crocker

Wingless Sprints

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

With the No. 6G of Austyn Gossel up front, Adam Hilton put the hammer down in his No. OH6 machine, quickly cutting the distance. He peered inside Gossel and executed a perfect overtake to take the lead. Before he could get away, Gossel delivered a shot to his rear bumper and passed him back. The No. 90D of Frank Denning closed on them both. Hilton snuck up on Gossel, pulled alongside him, bounced off his Nerf Bar, and kept the pressure on as the white flag flew. Not to be outdone, Gossel kept the lead all the way to the checkers.

Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 15, Josh Lewis, leaped ahead of the pack. The No. 27 of Mike Hathaway, after starting in the rear, had already muscled into second place by Lap 2. He lit out after Lewis and quickly passed him, putting down some real estate as he kept the field behind him. While the field jostled for position behind him, Hathaway whooped the field and took home the Dash win.

Feature – 25 Scheduled Laps; 17 Laps Run

After a nice even start, the No. 92 of Coby Pearce claimed the lead, but as the pack got up to speed, chaos struck. A wheel popped off the No. 0 of Ron O’Neil, creating an unforeseen hazard for the No. 4S of Kevin Schramek. Schramek’s race car struck the wayward tire, launched into the air, and shot up the banking before hammering the wall. The race car finally came to rest at the apex of Turns 1 and 2 before bursting into flames. Fuel poured out of the damaged race car, soaking the track in methanol and fire as track crews and first responders attended to Kevin Schramek and safely removed him from the fire; he was later transferred to a local medical center for further evaluation. Schramek’s son, Derek Shramek, even abandoned his No. 1S race car to help pull his father to safety.

After a lengthy red flag, the race went back to green with Pearce and the No. 55 of Gary Land up front. Pearce reclaimed the lead while Land stalked him but quickly succumbed to Land’s momentum and fell to second as Land set sail. Hilton joined the mix with Hathaway as the duo split Pearce, but he didn’t let up. He battled back and kept Denning, who was now in the mix, behind him. In front of them, Hilton did everything he could to track down Land, dragging Land into his clutches – but the battle was short-lived as Hilton spun onto the apron, almost striking the No. 15 of Josh Lewis, who had spun out earlier. Land restarted alongside Hathaway, but it was Hathaway who got the jump, slicing into the lead. Gossel settled into P2 after passing Land but spun out after dipping into the gutter and made light contact with Hilton. The fuel cell was torn from Hilton’s race car, spewing fuel onto the track after just 17 laps. Since the race had exceeded its time limit of one hour, officials elected to end it early, and Hathaway was credited with the win.

Quick Time: No. OH6, Adam Hilton, 16.916

Fast Dash: No. 6, Austyn Gossel

Dash: No. 27, Mike Hathaway

Feature: No. 27, Mike Hathaway

Matco Tools Pro Trucks

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 16 of Travis Roe galloped into an early lead but couldn’t shake the No. 50 machine of Tyler Wiggans. Wiggans muscled past Roe, while the No. 9 of Curtis Heldenbrand and the No. 22 of Brian Yackey did battle for third behind them. Heldenbrand pulled past Yackey, stalking Roe. Roe left the door open on the inside and Heldenbrand leaped at the chance to pass him, bringing the No. 1F of Happy Ferree through the hole with him. Roe plummeted to fifth while Heldenbrand led Ferree across the line.

Dash – 10 Laps

Despite bogging down at the start, the No. 86 of Tim Coate recovered to lead the first lap. The No. 7 of Adam Deines ditched traffic to follow him, settling into second as the No. 34 of Rudy Vanderwal and the No. 28 of Brian Weinmaster battled for third. Their fight came right down to the line, battling door-to-door as the laps ticked down. Vanderwal managed to hold off Weinmaster, but just barely, crossing the line just 0.027 seconds ahead of Weinmaster for the final podium position. Meanwhile, Coate crossed the line first uncontested with Deines in second.

Feature – 30 Laps

The No. 85 of Jeff Walbaum took the green from the pole, but Yackey quickly pressured him for the lead. By Lap 2, Yackey had control of the race with Ferree in hot pursuit as Walbaum plummeted, washing high up the track and allowing Heldenbrand to pull alongside him. Heldenbrand quickly passed him and set sights on the leaders. Ferree pulled alongside Yackey for P1, but his truck presented with an issue, throwing sparks around the track, violating the CNS Rule Book, which states that parts dragging on the track are not permitted. Officials displayed the black flag and Ferree pulled off the track Yackey maintained the lead and Heldenbrand inherited P2, although there was little he could do to reel in Yackey.

Halfway through the race, the pack had filed into a single string. Heldenbrand tried valiantly to chip into Yackey’s lead. Even as he caught lapped trucks, Yackey stayed well ahead of Heldenbrand. Wiggans picked off Walbaum for fourth with Deines close behind, slotting into fourth and fifth place. Up front, Yackey put on a clinic, leading by a large margin to the checkers.

Quick Time: No. 1F, Happy Ferree, 17.158

Fast Dash: No. 9, Curtis Heldenbrand

Dash: No. 86, Tim Coate

Feature: No. 22, Brian Yackey

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

Headed by the No. 61 of Lilian Tuttle, the Bandolero Outlaws took the half-course at CNS for their Dash. The No. 60 of Liam Hammond hung onto her, passing her to lead the first lap. He deftly navigated lapped cars and pulled away, keeping Tuttle well behind him for the win.

Outlaw Feature

The No. 89 of Justin Barnard and the No. 2 of Dutch Vanderwal led the field to the green, but the No. 95J of Jaxon Muhler swept into P2 past Vanderwal with pressure from Tuttle. Tuttle looked to the inside, passing Muhler as he swung wide. Hammond entered the conversation, splitting Muhler with Tuttle on the other side. However, when the No. 42 of Lee Malavasic spun out and stacked up the field, Muhler charged into the lead, losing it just half a lap later when Hammond galloped past. Tuttle overtook Muhler at the line as Hammond cruised to the win.

Bandit Dash

The No. 44 of Emersyn Weitzel charged past the front row to take the lead, but it was short-lived as the No. 23M of Izaak Mead claimed the position. The No. 07 of Madison Stanley set after Mead, peering to the inside, but couldn’t make it stick. Mead continued to lead, even with Stanley right on his bumper, and went on to win.

Bandit Feature

Weitzel flipped the script this time, taking the point at the start and leading Lap 1. Mead swept past the No. 28P of Hayden Powers for P2; Stanley, Powers, and Mead brought the three-wide battle to Weitzel, who managed to stay ahead of the chaos and maintain P1. Stanley mounted a charge on Weitzel but opened the door for Mead to sneak by and challenge Weitzel for the lead. They headed a four-way battle for the lead. Weitzel was unable to shake Mead until the last lap, diving across the line in first.

Jr. Bandit Dash

A single-file start put the No. 98 of Kyleigh Novak out front. Scarlett Aragon put her No. 77 hot on her heels, ditching the rest of the field. They closed on lapped traffic by Lap 4 but cleared slower competitors without incident. Novak went on to win.

Jr. Bandit Feature

The No. 35 of Maverick Arechiga shot into the lead but was immediately passed by the No. 28 of Chandler Gasser and the field as Arechiga plummeted. Gasser got to the inside of Novak, making light contact, which allowed Aragon to take control of the race. She settled into a comfortable lead with Arechiga behind her, dodging slower cars as she went on to seize the victory.

Outlaw Dash: No. 60, Liam Hammond

Outlaw Feature: No. 60, Liam Hammond

Bandit Dash: No. 23M, Izaak Mead

Bandit Feature: No. 44, Emersyn Weitzel

Jr. Bandit Dash: No. 98, Kyleigh Novak

Jr. Bandit Feature: No. 77, Scarlett Aragon

As usual, CNS is proud to welcome such an incredible class of fans, drivers, crews, employees, first responders, and sponsors. We’re hosting our first double header of the season on May 24th and 25th (that’s this weekend!), welcoming back the ARCA Menards Series West on Saturday and following it up with an incredible Memorial Day show presented by Hilton Garden Inn on Sunday. Come on out for one or both days – you know where to find us!

Tickets can be purchased in advance by Clicking HERE.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Pro Trucks - 30 Laps