Poison Lil Sprint Cars Race For The Million At CNS

Alexandra Purcell
2 hours ago
10 min read

August 22, 2026 - Dacono, CO

The blisteringly fast Sprint Cars headed back to Colorado National Speedway on August 22nd, 2026, and there was far more on the line than just bragging rights that Saturday night. The “Poison Lil” Classic, named after one of the most famous dirt track sprint cars in the country from 1932, brought four months of competition to a thrilling conclusion at CNS, with a million dollars waiting for the winner at the stripe. Supported by Circle Drags and Pro Trucks, the Poison Lil Classic delivered one hell of a night at the Fastest Short Track in the West. If you missed it, or just want to get caught up on the action, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for a full rundown.

Race For The Million Sprint Cars

Heat 1 – 10 Laps

The No. 36 of Aaron Willison fired off on the high side, battling around the No. 33J of Jeff Montgomery even as his race car got loose underneath him. Willison gathered it up and assumed control, quickly opening an eight-car-length advantage over Montgomery. Behind them, the No. 57 of Evan Margeson settled into third until the No. 5 of Joe Liguori mounted a charge and knocked him back to fourth. Willison stayed firmly in control throughout the second half of the race. He flashed beneath the white flag with a comfortable advantage and completed one final circuit to claim the Heat 1 victory, finishing more than two seconds ahead of Montgomery.

TRANSFER CARS (TOP 4): Aaron Willison, No. 36; Jeff Montgomery, No. 33J; Evan Margeson, No. 57; Joe Liguori, No. 5

DASH CARS: Aaron Willison, No. 36; Jeff Montgomery, No. 33J

Heat 2 – 10 Laps

The No. 7J of JoJo Helberg fired into the lead while the No. 29 of Jake Trainor followed in his tire tracks. The No. 61G of William Ginn emerged ahead of the No. 94W of Geoff Wade after a brief side-by-side battle for third, while Trainor began hunting down Helberg up front. Trainor swung low and perfectly matched Helberg down the backstretch, but the No. 22A of Bobby Santos III spun after trouble with another competitor, bringing out the caution on Lap 2. Helberg reclaimed the lead on the restart, but Trainor immediately made him work for it while the pack went three-wide behind them. Wade found himself caught in the middle and bounced off several other race cars, with debris from the melee bringing out another caution on Lap 4.

Helberg once again had to defend against Trainor when racing resumed, but this time Trainor completed the pass and took control. Santos recovered from his earlier trouble and worked his way into third with Ginn close behind. Trainor opened his advantage while Santos pressured Helberg for second. Nobody had anything for Trainor from there, and he crossed the stripe ahead of Helberg to take the Heat 2 victory.

TRANSFER CARS (TOP 4): Jake Trainor, No. 29; JoJo Helberg, No. 7J; Bobby Santos III, No. 22A; William Ginn, No. 61G

DASH CARS: Jake Trainor, No. 29; JoJo Helberg, No. 7J

Heat 3 – 10 Laps

The No. 15 of Eric Humphries held off the No. 44 of Jason Blonde and the No. 50M of Kody Swanson through the opening corners, emerging with the lead ahead of Blonde and Swanson. The No. 88SR of Jimmy McCune settled into fourth. Humphries quickly began putting on a clinic up front while Swanson closed on Blonde for second. Swanson pulled alongside, but Blonde slammed the door and created some breathing room as their battle continued. Their fight allowed Humphries to strengthen his advantage over the rest of the field. With two laps remaining, he held a commanding lead over Blonde, who sat comfortably in second. Humphries completed the final circuits without issue to claim the Heat 3 victory, followed by Blonde and Swanson.

TRANSFER CARS (TOP 4): Eric Humphries, No. 15; Jason Blonde, No. 44; Kody Swanson, No. 50M; Jimmy McCune, No. 88SR

DASH CARS: Eric Humphries, No. 15; Jason Blonde, No. 44

Heat 4 – 10 Laps

Before the pack could get up to speed, a single car spun in Turn 2 and brought out an early yellow. When the race returned to green, the No. 26 of Chase Cabre fired back to the point with the No. 88X of Chase Locke in hot pursuit. The No. 24R of Kyle Ray dipped low while trying to hold off a charge from the No. 99X of Troy DeCaire, but up front, Cabre began to set sail as the field settled into single-file formation. Locke wasn't content with second and reeled Cabre back in with two laps left, applying pressure through the corners and searching the high side for a way past. Cabre locked in and opened the gap again, but Locke lined up one final shot on the run to the checkers, but it wasn't enough. Cabre successfully defended the top spot and flashed across the stripe to claim the Heat 4 victory.

TRANSFER CARS (TOP 4): Chase Cabre, No. 26; Chase Locke, No. 88L; Kyle Ray, No. 24R; Troy DeCaire, No. 99X

DASH CARS: Chase Cabre, No. 26; Chase Locke, No. 88L

B Main – 12 Laps

For several competitors, the B Main represented one final opportunity to earn a place in the million-dollar Feature, with only eight transfer positions available. The No. 14 of Davey Hamilton Jr. lunged into the lead while the No. 7X of Matt Dimit broke free from the pack and began chipping away at his advantage. The No. 99 of Cory Lockwood battled among the transfer positions alongside Wade, while the No. 91 of Bryan Warf and No. 91X of Darren Yates fought to keep themselves above the cutoff. Hamilton continued to set sail as Dimit marched forward behind him. Lockwood shouldered his way into fourth, while lapped traffic eventually became another obstacle for Hamilton to negotiate. Even through slower traffic, Hamilton maintained control and took the white flag out front. He completed the final circuit to win the B Main, followed by Dimit and Wade on the podium.

Hamilton, Dimit, Wade, Lockwood, Warf, the No. 18 of AJ Luttmer, Yates, and the No. 28 of Colton Nelson earned the eight transfer positions into the Feature.

Trophy Dash – 8 Laps

With starting position on the line, eight Sprint Cars lined up for the eight-lap Trophy Dash. An early caution forced a complete restart, but Trainor wasted no time taking command once the green flag returned, with Humphries in pursuit. Cabre tracked them both while keeping an eye on Willison, who steadily gained behind him. Blonde, meanwhile, mounted a challenge on Montgomery for fifth but couldn't make the move stick.

Trainor remained firmly in control as the field settled into formation with three laps remaining. Still comfortably ahead when the white flag waved, Trainor completed the final circuit to claim the Trophy Dash victory.

Feature – 55 Laps

Before the biggest race of the night got underway, the Sprint Car field gave the packed CNS grandstands a show with a spectacular four-wide parade lap. Then it was time to settle the matter of who would leave with the $1 million prize.

Willison and Trainor shot ahead of the pack when the green flag waved, with Willison taking control as the race got underway. The top four broke away within the opening three laps, while further back, competitors raced two- and three-wide as the leaders steadily gained on the rear of the field. Willison continued to outrun Trainor, with Humphries in third and Cabre fourth. Further back, Margeson fought to maintain his place inside the top 10 as the field began stretching around the speedway. By Lap 10, Willison had caught the tail end of traffic, allowing Trainor to slash his advantage to only a few car-lengths. Once Willison found clear track, however, he immediately began stretching the gap again. His advantage had grown to nearly two seconds when a single car spun in Turn 2 on Lap 18, bringing out the caution and erasing his lead.

The pack returned to race speed in tight formation, and Willison reclaimed the point with pressure from Trainor and Blonde. Behind them, competitors battled through blistering three-wide conditions while the leaders once again separated themselves from the pack. It wasn't long before slower traffic entered the equation again. By the halfway point, Willison remained in control, but Swanson had shouldered his way into second and set his sights on the leader as the pair navigated lapped traffic.

Willison maintained command even as he picked his way through slower cars. Race cars covered all four corners of the track as the field fought for every inch of pavement and a shot at the million-dollar payday, but nobody could touch the leader. Swanson did his best to close the gap, but by Lap 37, he sat 3.557 seconds behind Willison.

Santos moved into third as Blonde faded to 10th. Trainor slipped to fourth, while Margeson muscled his way into the top five and continued marching forward. Santos began cutting into Swanson's hold on second, but neither could make meaningful progress toward Willison. With four laps remaining, Willison's advantage had ballooned beyond five seconds. Nothing stood in his way as he sliced through lapped traffic one final time. Willison flashed beneath the checkered flag to claim the $1 million prize, with fireworks erupting from the infield as he completed a dominant performance at Colorado National Speedway. His margin of victory? A staggering 8.113 seconds.

Quick Time: No. 33J, Jeff Montgomery, 15.508

Heat 1: No. 36, Aaron Willison

Heat 2: No. 29, Jake Trainor

Heat 3: No. 15, Eric Humphries

Heat 4: No. 26, Chase Cabre

Trophy Dash: No. 29, Jake Trainor

B-Main: No. 14, Davey Hamilton Jr.

Feature: No. 36, Aaron Willison

Matco Tools Pro Trucks

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 16 of Travis Roe and the No. 22 of Brian Yackey fired off from the front row, evenly matching each other through the first turns while the No. 9 of Curtis Heldenbrand lurked behind, waiting for an opportunity. Yackey led the opening lap, but not by much, while Heldenbrand was shuffled out of the fight for second and plummeted to fifth. Yackey and Roe continued to evenly pace one another until Roe finally found the advantage and took control. The No. 08 of Eric Meisner took advantage of their battle and brought the fight to Yackey's door. Meisner clawed his way past and immediately set his sights on Roe with only three laps remaining. Yackey continued to slide through the running order while Roe held firm up front. Roe completed the final circuits to win the Fast Dash, while Yackey narrowly hung onto a top-five finish at the stripe.

Dash – 10 Laps

An early caution forced the field to take the green all over again, and the No. 11 of Steve Johnson emerged with the advantage as the No. 86 of Tim Coate followed him around the lower groove. The No. 6 of Kip Sandell stalked them both, while the No. 60M of Nick Martinez battled among the top five. Though Johnson held a comfortable lead, he couldn't completely shake Coate. Coate mounted a late push for the top spot, but Johnson slammed the door and continued to show the way. Coate tried once more coming out of Turn 4 on the final lap, but Johnson wouldn't be denied. He completed a flag-to-flag performance to take home the Dash trophy.

Feature – 30 Laps

Starting from the pole, Roe assumed control with the No. 29 of Dalton Webb in pursuit, while Heldenbrand faded to fourth after starting alongside Roe on the front row. Webb settled into second as Yackey picked his way through the field, moving into fourth ahead of Meisner. Light rain began peppering the racetrack, but the Pro Truck field kept racing. Roe steadily opened his advantage over the pack, leading Webb and Heldenbrand in loose formation. Further back, the No. 34 of Rudy Vanderwal began falling into the clutches of Johnson. Roe continued to lead through lapped traffic until several trucks spun in Turn 4, bringing out the caution. Under yellow on Lap 12, the rain picked up enough for officials to display the red flag.

Thankfully, the shower quickly moved on and the racing surface dried without a lengthy delay. Roe and Webb lined up on the front row to lead the field back to green. Roe immediately found speed along the lower groove while Webb faded, allowing Yackey and Heldenbrand to move forward. Before the running order could settle, two trucks tangled in Turn 2 and brought out another caution on Lap 14. Roe reclaimed the lead on the restart while Yackey powered past Webb on the backstretch. From there, Roe checked out, putting on a clinic as he steadily gapped the field.

Meisner continued his own charge toward the front, eventually working his way into fourth. Behind him, Vanderwal and Heldenbrand became locked in the tightest battle on the racetrack, racing two-wide for fifth with only three laps remaining. Nobody had anything for Roe. Even as he closed on the tail end of the field, he remained firmly in command and completed the final circuits to earn his eighth Feature victory of the season. Yackey and Webb followed him across the stripe to complete the podium, while Vanderwal beat Heldenbrand to the line for fifth.

Quick Time: No. 16, Travis Roe, 17.570

Fast Dash: No. 16, Travis Roe

Dash: No. 11, Steve Johnson

Feature: No. 16, Travis Roe

What a night at CNS! We can't thank everyone enough for coming out and making the Race for the Million such an incredible event. A huge thank you goes to our CNS regulars, as well as the drivers, teams, officials, and crew who joined us for the Race for the Million. With so many cars, so much on the line, and a full night of racing to get through, everyone worked together to put on an incredible, smooth-running show for the fans. We’re proud to have been a part of this year’s Sprint Car championship!

Next weekend, CNS returns with a loaded night of double features for the Super Late Models, Grand American Modifieds, Pure Stocks, and Figure 8s, capped off with our fan-favorite Trains. Get your tickets HERE!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Race For the Million Sprint Cars - 55 Laps