September 17th, 2022
Championships for the 2022 season at Colorado National Speedway kicked off this weekend with the Longmont Dairy Udder Madness night on September 17th. The Grand American Modified and Pure Stock divisions crowned their hard-fought champions, while the Super Late Models put on a good show along with the Demo X drivers. It was a perfect night to set the stage for the first round of championship races, with mild weather (save for one small storm cell passing through), and fans enjoyed intense, neck-and-neck racing throughout all fields kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
Mountain States Fire Protection Super Late Models
Dash – 10 Laps
Bruce Yackey’s No. 12 easily slid into first after starting third, pulling the No. 84 of Matt Zwingelberg with him into second place. A heated battle for third place shaped up behind them between the No. 87 of Timothy Trostel III; the No. 8 of Jeff Walbaum; and the No. 07 of Daniel Mares. Trostel’s No. 87 got the position and lit out after Zwingelberg’s No. 87 for second place. That race remained tight right up until the checkered flag, with Zwingelberg barely holding the position in the No. 84. Yackey’s No. 12 crossed the line first.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
Zach Morris’ No. 89 and Nicholas Cooper’s No. 05 led the field to green. They raced side-by-side, while the No. 22 of Chris Eggleston entered the battle. SLM points leader Cody Dempster in the No. 24 got sideways at the exit of Turn 2, causing a caution. The race restarted with the No. 05 of Cooper and the No. 22 of Eggleston fighting tooth and nail for the top spot, and Eggleston captured the victory by the nose of his race car.
Feature – 40 Laps
The No. 37 of Ethan Hunter and the No. 3C of Cassidy Hinds started up front when the green flag waved. The field was neck-and-neck through the top 10, battling two- and three-wide. Hinds’ No. 3C slipped away with the race lead, pulling the No. 61 of Matt Martinez along with her as she commanded the race. Just a few laps later, the No. 61 of Martinez got past Hinds’ No. 3C for the top spot, followed by the No. 22 of Eggleston. The two racers battled hard up front. The second he had a chance, Martinez threw his No. 61 down in front of Eggleston’s No. 22 machine, slamming the door on him, while Hinds’ No. 3C fought with the No. 24 of Dempster for third place. Eggleston got away with the lead after making a hard-earned pass on the No. 61 machine of Martinez. The No. 3C of Hinds spun in Turn 4 with 12 laps left to go, causing a caution.
The restart saw the No. 89 of rookie Zach Morris fighting with Dempster’s No. 24 for second place while Eggleston’s No. 22 commanded the race once more. Eggleston led cleanly until the end, capturing the victory as the checkered flag waved over him.
Dash: No. 12, Bruce Yackey
Fast Dash: No. 22, Chris Eggleston
Feature: No. 22, Chris Eggleston
Quick Time: No. 24, Cody Dempster 16.116
Sunoco Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds
Feature 1 – 20 Laps
Kyle Clegg put the No. 51 machine out front in a hurry, pulling the No. 6 of Scotty Scott and the No. 24 of Nathan Gasser behind him as the pack strung out. Meanwhile, the No. 89 of Jacob Smith charged into third and zeroed in on the No. 6 of Scott for second place, hunting down Clegg’s No. 51 for both the feature race lead and the overall championships lead. In fact, Clegg and Smith headed into the championship race with just one point separating the two drivers, meaning that every point for each position gained at the end of the race would count toward the bid for the overall season trophy. Smith’s No. 89 worked hard to pass the No. 6 of Scotty Scott and gain that extra finishing position point, but ultimately, Scott was able to hold onto second place as they flashed across the line behind race winner Clegg’s No. 51.
Feature 2 – 30 Laps
The second of two GAM features was quite the opposite of the relatively tame race held earlier in the evening. The No. 9 of CJ Wilson found the lead after the No. 41 of Eric Vos and the No. 68 of Forest Smith were jostled back, while the No. 59 of Charles Wilson rose to second place. However, the field didn’t have much time to sort itself out; just one lap in, a four-car incident unfolded in Turn 3 as Vos’ No. 41 slid up the track, collecting the No. 99 of Jordon Smith and No. 22 of Travis Rudolph among others. After a lengthy red flag to address debris and fluids left behind, CJ Wilson’s No. 9 came under fire of Charles Wilson’s No. 59 machine but settled into the race lead in just a few laps. Meanwhile, the No. 13 of Darin Clark slid into third place, waiting for his chance to make a go at the leaders. Then, the No. 6 of Scott spun in Turn 3, as did a second vehicle in an unrelated incident, and then the No. 13 of Clark went around entering Turn 1 just as the yellow caution lights flared.
On the green flag, Charles Wilson’s No. 59 and CJ Wilson’s No. 9 galloped away from the pack. Behind them, Clegg’s No. 51 and Smith’s No. 89 battled door-to-door, each trying to claw their way ahead of the other to gain precious championship points. CJ Wilson’s bid for the race win was cut short as his No. 9 and Scott’s No. 6 were involved in an incident in Turn 2; in an unrelated incident, Smith’s No. 89 and Charles Wilson’s No. 59 got together, effectively ending Smith’s shot at the 2022 GAM championship. A lengthy cleanup ensued after these two incidents, and officials ruled that as the race approached its time limit, it would be cut from 19 laps left to 10 laps. The No. 24 of Gasser assumed the lead on the restart with 10 laps left, while the No. 68 of Forest Smith shot into second place. Gasser took the checkered flag in first for the feature win, while Clegg’s No. 51 secured the 2022 GAM championship, making him a first-time champion in the Grand American Modified Division.
Feature 1: No. 51, Kyle Clegg
Feature 2: No. 24, Nathan Gasser
2022 Sunoco Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds Champion: No. 51, Kyle Clegg
2022 Grand American Modified Rookie of the Year: No. 6, Scotty Scott
Quick Time: No. 51, Kyle Clegg 17.119
Rock N Roll Brewery Pure Stocks
Feature 1 – 20 Laps
The No. 34 of Ronald Johnson took the green flag from the pole. He got away cleanly while the pack jostled behind him. The No. 15 of Brendon Knowles and the No. 41G of Christopher Galvin battled each other hard for third place. Isaac Almaswari had to chase the back end of his No. 8 machine a few times out of Turn 4 as he tried to hunt down every position, he could to give him an edge in the 2022 PS championship run while he fought hard to keep the other cars behind him. Halfway through the race, the leaders began to hit lapped traffic, tightening up the delta between the top racers and allowing the No. 22 of AJ Hill to close the gap on Johnson’s No. 35. With eight laps left, the No. 76 of Russell Darnell spun neatly in Turn 4 but kept it off the wall and away from other cars. Johnson continued to show the way in the No. 34 machine and crossed the finish line in first for the feature win.
Feature 2 – 25 Laps
Matthew Knowles got out front in a hurry in the No. 24 machine while the No. 1 of Derek Spalding put pressure on him. However, just one lap in, a pileup occurred in Turn 4, prompting a red flag due to oil and debris, and a well-timed red flag at that – the skies opened up as a brief rainstorm passed over the speedway. With the track dried and cleared, the restart with 24 laps left saw the No. 41G of Christopher Galvin and the No. M60 of Morris Christner up front while a four-wide battle for second place unfolded behind them. That multi-lane race culminated in two cars spinning in Turn 2, causing another caution. Galvin’s No. 41G restarted on the inside with the No. 1 of Spalding to his outside, but again the field was slowed for a three-car wreck in Turn 1. The No. 8A of Austin Richards lost a wheel, and the wheel was apprehended in Turn 3 after rolling down the entire backstretch by itself after the Turn 1 wreck.
When the green waved, Galvin’s No. 41G took the lead again, while Hill’s No. 22 got loose behind him, but Hill got it together and avoided an incident. Meanwhile, the No. 5c of Kyle Carrasco fought through the field on his way to the championship, closing on the top five after navigating from a 10th-place starting position. The No. 41G of Galvin ran off with the lead, while the No. M60 of Christner was bumped by the No. 15 of Brendan Knowles for second place. The battle for second was neck-and-neck as the two drivers fought each other for the position on the leaderboard. They kept it together. The No. 41G of Galvin crossed the line first for the feature win. Carrasco’s No. 5c fended off charges from the cars behind him and captured the 2022 PS championship, lighting up the backstretch with an amazing burnout after only his second full-time season in the division.
Feature 1: No. 34, Ronald Johnson
Feature 2: No. 41G, Christopher Galvin
2022 Rock N Roll Brewery Pure Stocks Champion: No. 5c, Kyle Carrasco
Quick Time: No. 15, Brendon Knowles 20.136
Demo X
A chaotic conclusion to a chaotic night, the Demo X Lite division took to the track, beating and bashing one another across the infield course as they did battle for the top spot. The No. 8 of Mary Jane Carson got the win, crossing the finish line with her trunk lid open. The Heavy division was more of the same, with drivers trying to keep their trucks underneath them in the insanity. Unfortunately, one truck was turned over and barrel rolled several times, but the driver was able to get out under his own power.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Super Late Models - 40 Laps
22 Chris Eggleston - Thornton
24 Cody Dempster - Parker
32 Brett Yackey - Greeley
89 Zach Morris (R) - Greenwood Village
61 Matt Martinez - Parker
12 Bruce Yackey - Greeley
05 Nick Cooper - Loveland
27 Roger Avants - Littleton
07 Daniel Mares (R) - Aurora
84 Matt Zwingelberg - Aurora
2 Royal Scott - Platteville
3 John Negri III (R) - Byers
3C Cassidy Hinds (R) - Arvada
87 Tim Trostel III (R) - Thornton
37 Ethan Hunter - CO Springs
14 Brody Moore - Keystone DNS 8 Jeff Walbaum - Brighton
Grand American Modified Feature 1 - 20 Laps
51 Kyle Clegg - Westminster
6 Scotty Scott (R) - Arvada
89 Jacob Smith - Littleton
24 Nathan Gasser - Fort Lupton
13 Darin Clark - Cheyenne, WY
66 John Seely - Parker
59 Charlie Wilson - Penrose
68 Forest Smith - Bellvue
9 CJ Wilson - Penrose
41 Eric Vos - Wheat Ridge
01 Jared Wall (R) - Commerce City
22 Travis Rudolph - Thornton
09 Tylar Rick (R) - Mead
7 David Robinson - Johnstown
99 Jordan Smith (R) - Morrison
Grand American Modified Feature 2 - 30 Laps
24 Nathan Gasser - Fort Lupton
51 Kyle Clegg - Westminster
68 Forest Smith - Bellvue
6 Scotty Scott (R) - Arvada
66 John Seely - Parker
01 Jared Wall (R) - Commerce City
09 Tylar Rick (R) - Mead
89 Jacob Smith - Littleton
59 Charlie Wilson - Penrose
9 CJ Wilson - Penrose
22 Travis Rudolph - Thornton
13 Darin Clark - Cheyenne, WY
41 Eric Vos - Wheat Ridge
99 Jordan Smith (R) - Morrison
7 David Robinson - Johnstown
Pure Stock Feature 1 - 20 Laps
34 Ronald Johnson - Westminster
22 AJ Hill - Brighton
41G Christopher Galvin - Byers
5C Kyle Carrasco - Hudson
15 Brendon Knowles - Highlands Ranch
8 Isaac Almaswari - Brighton
8A Austin Richards - Arvada
M60 Morris Christner - Elizabeth
02 Chan Raley - Bennett
91 Cole Whitford - Brighton
1 Derek Spalding - Lochbuie
24 Matthew Knowles - Littleton
76 Russell Darnell - Dacono
14g Nicki Gladkowski - Byers DNS 20 Tanner Faatz - Windsor
Pure Stock Feature 2 - 25 Laps
41G Christopher Galvin - Byers
M60 Morris Christner - Elizabeth
15 Brendon Knowles - Highlands Ranch
34 Ronald Johnson - Westminster
5C Kyle Carrasco - Hudson
22 AJ Hill - Brighton
1 Derek Spalding - Lochbuie
24 Matthew Knowles - Littleton
14g Niki Gladkowski - Byers
76 Russell Darnell - Dacono
02 Chan Raley - Bennett
8A Austin Richards - Arvada
91 Cole Whitford - Brighton
8 Isaac Almaswari - Brighton DNS 20 Tanner Faatz - Windsor