Sep 26, 2023

MATCO Tools Championship Night Roars At CNS

September 23, 2023 (Dacono, CO)

The Pro Trucks and Late Models reached the apex of their seasons on Saturday, September 23rd, 2023, at Colorado National Speedway, as two special Feature races stood between the racers and their championships. A precession of MATCO Tools trucks turned a few laps before our drivers were turned loose to do what they do best. Quite a few daily pickups burned some rubber for our roaring fans in our special trucks-only Circle Drag session, along with a smokey demonstration from the Drift Colorado crew, and of course, a champion was also crowned in our unique Trains division. There’s still time to check out the affordable action at CNS this season, so if you missed this weekend’s bout of championships, fear not – there are still two more weekends left to see a champion crowned in person!

Trucks Only Circle Drags - Colorado National Speedway

MATCO Tools Pro Trucks

Feature 1 – 20 Laps

Tyler Wiggans’ No. 50 and Travis Roe’s No. 16 shot under the green flag for the first of two PT Features. The two trucks took it two-wide for the lead for several laps, but they were able to evenly pace each other, and neither had the clear upper hand, staying tight on each other for the lead – that is, until Roe found his nose buried in the backstretch wall heading into Turn 3 after contact with Wiggans. Wiggans was sent to the rear, putting the No. 22 of Brian Yackey and the No. 11 of Steve Johnson up front as the new leaders. After flashing under the green flag, Yackey had to defend P2 against the No. 34 of Rudy Vanderwal, allowing the No. 9 of Curtis Heldenbrand to nose his way into the battle. Vanderwal and Yackey kept at each other, until Vanderwal managed to eke ahead of Yackey, but couldn’t rally hard enough to put him in the rearview. Then, the back end of Yackey’s truck stepped out slightly, finally giving Vanderwal the opening he needed to complete the pass. Meanwhile, Yackey fell to the clutches of Heldenbrand to fend him off. Johnson continued to lead, but after postrace inspection, Vanderwal’s hard-fought battle against Yackey and Heldenbrand landed the No. 34 in Victory Lane.

Feature 2 – 30 Laps

The second Feature was, again, all about a Vanderwal – but this time, it was the No. 43 truck of Kody Vanderwal, who entered the race as the points leader and a starting position on the front row. The No. 85 of Jeff Walbaum started next to him and was only able to hold the lead for a couple laps before Vanderwall rallied his No. 43 machine to capture the lead. Walbaum continued to fall in the standings, surrendering to Davis and Heldenbrand, while a hard-charging Wiggans put Rudy Vanderwal behind him for fourth. Kody Vanderwal showed the way, and Davis tried to track him down, but became mired in a fight with Heldenbrand for second place. He managed to hold him off, at least for a moment, but Heldenbrand mounted another charge and began to reel him in. They fell in line, single file behind Vanderwal, and Davis began to lose ground on Vanderwal while Yackey and Wiggans traded paint for fourth. Vanderwal deftly navigated a few lapped trucks, but our racers kept it clean, staying out of trouble as the No. 43 powered through to capture the win. Not only did he solidify his position as winner, but he was also crowned overall champion and celebrated his two accomplishments in Victory Lane. Meanwhile, Brad Skufca and the colorful No. 88S earned the title of 2023 Rookie Of The Year.

Quick Time: No. 9, Curtis Heldenbrand, 17.144

Feature 1: No. 34, Rudy Vanderwal

Feature 2: No. 43, Kody Vanderwal

2023 Pro Truck Champion: No. 43, Kody Vanderwal

2023 PT Rookie of the Year: No. 88S, Brad Skufca

GTI Services Late Models

Feature 1 – 20 Laps

Following Eric Meisner’s No. 51 and Mike Gallegos’ No. 51G, 21 total LM entries took the green flag for the penultimate race in their championship. The field got stacked up behind the No. 58 of Bryce Weinmaster on the start, but everyone was able to keep their race car beneath them and shot after Gallegos, who led the first lap. Meisner didn’t let him have it easy, fighting side-by-side with him, even as the No. A51X of Kyle Clegg began his steady forward march. It didn’t take long for Clegg to work on Meisner and Gallegos, and he swept into the top spot just three laps in. Gallegos and Meisner, meanwhile, continued to fight tooth and nail for every position, staying in a bumper lock, while the No. 31 of Rick Smith and No. 8 of Dan Alamaa kept up a battle for fourth place. Gallegos, eyes set on not only the race but the overall championship, tracked Clegg with a vengeance, closing the distance as lapped traffic became a factor. Alamaa put pressure on Smith but was unable to seal the deal and had to settle for a fourth-place finish. Gallegos, meanwhile, was able to get within five car-lengths of Clegg, but couldn’t advance any further. Nothing would stand between Clegg and his first LM win – in his first start in the division, nonetheless.

Feature 2 – 30 Laps

Gallegos took the green flag from the fourth row, following the No. 15 of Michael Hannah and the No. 98 of Lee Kemmit on the front row for the second Feature. Kemmit led the first lap, while Rick Smith and Dan Alamaa picked up right where they left off from the first Feature, battling for fourth, allowing Gallegos the opening he needed to shoot to the inside. Hannah hung right with Kemmit for the lead and was also unable to shake the No. 18 of Casey Wiggans. Clegg, however, got past Gallegos for fifth place, but before Gallegos had the chance to take it back, the No. 40 of Brandon Newey and the No. 30B of Eric Bowers got together in Turn 3, and the No. 99 of Tessa Marine scrambled to avoid them, spinning out. Kemmit defended the lead on the restart, which was short-lived as the No. 48B of Eric Blackard spun. Gathering the field back together, Kemmit once again took off in P1 while Wiggans threw his race car below Hannah for P2. He earned the position, while Hannah found himself vulnerable to a charge from Clegg, who threatened to take third place – unto the two race cars touched, causing the field to scatter and Marine to spin out to avoid contact again. Clegg was sent to the tail end of the longest line.

Kemmit let the No. 98 machine get a little sideways after the restart, while Alamaa nosed into second past Wiggans, who was also passed by Gallegos in short order. Kemmit, Alamaa and Gallegos broke away from the rest of the pack, while Smith stalked them for his shot at the lead. Gallegos and Alamaa ate up the track side-by-side, until Gallegos found the advantage and shot after Kemmit. He laid his bumper to Kemmit’s, waiting for his shot as the pack caught slower cars at the back of the field. Then, another multicar incident slowed the field under yellow again, and Gallegos took the opportunity to pressure Kemmit on the restart. However, it wasn’t meant to be, and Gallegos fell just short of the win as Kemmit took the trophy. Gallegos did, however, clinch the overall championship, while Wiggans earned the crown as Rookie of the Year.

Quick Time: No. A51X, Kyle Clegg, 17.235

Feature 1: No. A51X, Kyle Clegg

Feature 2: No. 98, Lee Kemmit

2023 LM Champion: No. 21G, Mike Gallegos

2023 LM Rookie of the Year: No. 18, Casey Wiggans

Witthar Racing Trains

Feature – 10 Laps

One thing we love about our trains – they’re serious competitors on the racing surface, but one of the most tight-knit families in motorsports off track, no matter how hard they fight on the asphalt.

The No. 41G Train, J&H Livestock’s Funny Farm, led the first lap over the No. 86, Last Call. Three-wide just three laps in, Last Call took the lead over Funny Farm and No. 151, Crazy Train, dashing through The X as the three-car amalgamations swerved to avoid one another where the tracks converged. Last Call maintained the lead, and chaos ensued when Crazy Train lost a wheel on the front stretch. Meanwhile, the No. 80HD, SNAFU, charged into third, then into second as they passed Crazy Train. Last Call dominated the race all the way to the checkers, and SNAFU clinched the overall championship.