July 1st, 2023 ~ Dacono, CO
At Colorado National Speedway on Saturday, July 1st, 2023, a full house of fans packed into our grandstands to take in the semi-annual Sprint Car race for the first of two action-packed nights. CNS was once again the finest place in Colorado to kick off July 4th weekend, as not only were Sprint Cars on deck, but Bandoleros, Pure Stocks and a large field of Legends – and, of course, Circle Drags, in which a red, white, and blue Audi and a gray Subaru capped off a fan favorite event.
CNS Sprint Cars
Dash – 8 Laps
The No. 16 of Austyn Gossel took control of the first Sprint Car Dash, leading over the No. 1 of Natalie Waters, while the No. 12b of Monty Bergener tried to defend third against the No. 68 of Mike Anderson. The race stayed clean and the drivers fell single-file behind the leader, who began to catch lapped traffic. However, it was no problem for Gossel, who would ultimately win.
Fast Dash – 8 Laps
The No. 14W of Aaron Willison started beside the No. 22A of Bobby Santos for the Dash. Willison and the No. 14W shot ahead of the No. 22A of Santos, while the No. 15H of Eric Humphries took over third place. Despite the No. 02 of Anthony Quintana spinning on the backstretch, Willison’s No. 14W led to the finish.
Feature – 40 Laps
Twenty-two Sprint Cars lined up behind the No. 99 of Cory Lockwood and the No. 10 of Austin Carter for the Feature event. Not too long after the green, the No. 15H of Humphries made the pass for second and went after the leader, while the No. 10 of Carter led the first lap. However, he couldn’t hold off a hard-charging Humphries, and soon the No. 15H took over the top spot. Then, on Lap 4, the No. 95 of Chris Muhler slammed the wall in Turn 3, causing a yellow flag. The restart put the No. 15H of Humphries and the No. 10 of Carter back on the front row, and the race fell under Humphries’ control, but not for long, as the No. 22A of Santos took the lead, while the No. 10 of Carter was demoted to fourth place. It didn’t take long for Santos and the No. 22A to start catching the back of the field. The lapped traffic allowed the No. 15H of Humphries to narrow the gap, but not enough, while the No. 14 of Davey Hamilton Jr. stalked them from third place. Meanwhile, the No. 14W of Willison mounted a charge toward the front, but made contact with the No. 27 of Mike Hathaway, the latter of which was a lap down. Willison’s No. 14W spun, forcing a caution.
The restart pitted the No. 22A of Santos and the No. 15H of Humphries against one another yet again. Third place became a contest between the No. 99 of Lockwood and the No. 14 of Hamilton, while Willison’s No. 14W clamored back into sixth after his involvement in the earlier incident, battling the No. 02 of Quintana for fifth. The No. 22A of Santos began to catch lapped traffic again halfway through the race, but it did little to stall his forward sprint. The No. 14W of Willison took fourth away from the No. 99 of Lockwood, tailing the No. 14 of Hamilton in third. The No. 22A of Santos continued to lead while the No. 15H of Humphries put up a valiant effort to track him down. Santos’ No. 22A was crowned the winner of the opening Sprint Car night.
Quick Time: No. 14W, Aaron Willison, 13.435 seconds @ 100.5 mph
Dash: No. No. 16, Austyn Gossel
Fast Dash: 14W, Aaron Willison
Feature: No. 22A, Bobby Santos
AC Transmission Legends
Dash – 10 Laps
Just two laps in, the No. 27 of Brian Harlow took command of the top spot, passing the No. 78 of Ashlyn Himler and the No. 38 of Garrett Wilson. However, Harlow’s No. 27 would be uncontested to the checkered flag.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
Before a lap could be completed, a multicar incident unfolded in Turn 3. The field was reset and the second attempt at a start occurred. The No. 16 of Travis Roe jumped out front, while the No. 15 of Danny Medina took over second place. However, he came under fire of the No. 78C of Colton Crocker shortly thereafter. An incident occurred late in the race, forcing a restart on Lap 8, that saw the No. 22 of Chris Eggleston and Crocker’s No. 78C take the green from the front row. Eggleston’s No. 22 set sail to take the Fast Dash win.
Feature – 25 Laps
On the front row, the No. 78 of Ashlyn Himler and the No. 62 of Erik Bain took the green, and the No. 9 of Terry McBride quickly entered the battle for second place while Bain’s No. 62 took the lead. The No. 9 of McBride took the position just two laps in, demoting Himler’s No. 78 to third place. The No. 73 of Mike Markison began to stalk through the field, taking third from Himler’s No. 78, and then caught the No. 9 of McBride for second place. On a mission, Markison’s No. 73 took the lead from Bain’s No. 62, before a single-car incident slowed the field with a caution. The restart put the No. 62 of Bain and the No. 73 of Markison beside each other, and a battle for the lead ensued once the green flag dropped. Bain put the nose of his No. 62 low, but couldn’t make it stick, allowing Markison’s No. 73 to take off with the lead. Bain’s No. 62 wouldn’t let the No. 73 of Markison get away without a fight and began wearing out his rear bumper. It came down to the last lap, but the No. 62 of Bain couldn’t find a way around the No. 73 of Markison, who crossed the finish line with a car length between the two of them.
Fast Feature – 25 Laps
The No. 78C of Colton Crocker led the first lap for the Fast Feature, pulling the No. 22 of Eggleston through with him. Soon, the No. 22 of Eggleston dove past Crocker’s No. 78C for the lead, while the No. 15 of Danny Medina took over third place, followed by the No. 66 of Kyle Clegg in fourth. The No. 78C of Crocker fell to fourth soon thereafter, while Clegg’s No. 66 set out to take the lead away from Eggleston’s No. 22. On Lap 13, the first caution occurred, thanks to a spin from the No. 29 of David Johnson. The following restart saw the field get stacked up, unraveling into a wreck near the back, but once that was sorted out and the green flag waved, Eggleston guided the No. 22 back to the point. However, the No. 32 of Cody Milan spun, slowing the field yet again as he contacted two other race cars. On the restart, the No. 1 of Ryan Land had an issue and hammered the wall in Turn 1, causing another caution and pushing the race into a green-white-checker finish. Eggleston’s No. 22 claimed the lead once again, while a battle for second took place with the No. 78C of Crocker, the No. 21 of Ryan Jones, and the No. 15 of Medina for second, but they could only chase Eggleston’s No. 22 across the line.
Quick Time: No. 66, Kyle Clegg, 18.493
Dash: No. 27, Brian Harlow
Fast Dash: No. 22, Chris Eggleston
Feature: No. 73, Mike Markison
Fast Feature: No. 22, Chris Eggleston
ROCK N ROLL BREWERY PURE STOCKS
Dash – 10 Laps
The No. M60 of Morris Christner and the No. 9 of Cole Baker led the field to green, but the No. OH7 of Aubrei Hilton took over in short order. The No. M60 of Christner and the No. 8 of Isaac Almaswari fought for second, and the No. M60 of Christner was eventually demoted to second place. The No. OH7 opened up a half a straightaway lead on the No. M60, and maintained it right to the finish line.
Fast Dash – 10 Laps
At the drop of the green, the Pure Stocks almost went four-wide all the way through the field, with the No. 53 of Josh Hopkins emerging to take control. However, the No. 32 of Rick Phillips surged through the field to challenge him, and it all came down to the last lap – they were side by side for the lead as the checkered flag loomed, and at the line, Hopkins’ No. 53 barely held onto it over the No. 32 of Phillips.
Feature – 25 Laps
The No. 32 of Phillips took the lead in a hurry, followed by the No. 22 of AJ Hill. Phillips checked out in the No. 32, but met the rear of the field and was forced to navigate through lapped traffic to maintain his position. That left the second-place battle up to the No. 22 of Hill and the No. 8A of Austin Richards, and in the process, they began to cut into Phillip’s lead as they tracked down his No. 32 machine. Richards guided the No. 8A around the No. 22 of Hill for second place halfway through the race.
At the front of the field, with five laps left, lapped traffic proved too much for Phillips and the No. 32, allowing the No. 8A of Richards to take control of the top spot. However, he couldn’t set sail quite yet, as the No. 3 of Burnett tagged the wall, setting the stage for a late-race restart. The No. 8A of Richards and the No. 32 of Phillips were right at each other for the lead right at the drop of the green flag. Phillips put the No. 32 out front, but couldn’t shake Richard’s No. 8A, driving hard into Turn 3 and making contact with his competitor before washing up and striking the wall. The No. 8A took advantage of the open door, and Richards took the feature win.
Quick Time: N/A
Dash: No. OH7, Aubrei Hilton
Fast Dash: No. 53, Josh Hopkins
Feature: No. 8A, Austin Richards
Puzzle Effect Bandoleros
Bandits
Dash - 8 Laps
The No. 89 of Justin Barnard led early in the Bandit Dash, but the No. 5 of Reagan Fruge put up a fight and wouldn’t let him get away with the lead. Fruge eked the No. 5 into the top spot, but quickly found himself under fire of the No. 12 of Aspyn Lange – but she couldn’t execute the pass, and Fruge claimed yet another Dash win for the No. 5
Feature - 10 Laps
Fruge and the No. 5 were back to form in a hurry for the Feature, snapping the lead right away even as the No. 23 of Peyton Opperman spun and got going right in front of the leaders. They avoided incident, however. Fruge’s No. 5 stayed out front over the No. 89 of Barnard. Unfortunately, the No. 23 of Opperman suffered a blown tire. Fruge’s No. 5 stayed out front and led cleanly right to the checkered flag.
Outlaws
Dash - 8 Laps
Wyatt Dent’s No. 68 leaped right out front when the green flag dropped on the Outlaw Dash. After starting in sixth, the No. 33 of Dillyn Kellogg got up to fourth place, but got together with the No. 61 of Lillian Tuttle. They both held it together, while Dent’s No. 68 paced the No. 21 of Madilyn Lange across the line for the Dash win.
Feature - 10 Laps
The Feature had the No. 68 of Dent on the front row, and the two raced side by side for the lead until the No. 38 went for a spin, opening the door for Dent’s No. 68 to take the lead. Lange put her No. 21 into second place and began to stalk the leader, but to no avail – Dent would not be denied, taking the No. 68 back to Victory Lane.
Bandit Dash: No. 5, Reagan Fruge
Bandit Feature: No. 5, Reagan Fruge
Outlaw Dash: No. 68, Wyatt Dent
Outlaw Feature: No. 68, Wyatt Dent
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Sprint Cars - 40 laps
22A Bobby Santos III - Fishers, IN
15 Eric Humphries - Chowchilla, CA
14 Davey Hamilton Jr - Lutz, FL
14W Aaron Willison Ducan, B.C.
99 Cory Lockwood - Nampa, ID
6G Bryan Gossel - Fort Collins, CO
02 Anthony Quintana - Riverton, UT
16 Rob Grice - Nampa, ID
10 Austin Carter - Clovis, CA
16G Austyn Gossel - Fort Collins, CO
1 Natalie Waters - Grantsville, UT
27 Michael Hathaway - Falcon, CO
68 Mike Anderson - Nampa, ID
2 Shad Petersen - Casper, WY
0 Trevor Anderson - Nampa, ID
55 Gary Land - Littleton, CO
91 Bryan Warf - Meridian, ID
12B Monty Bergener - Grantsville, UT
22 DJ Lyons - Nampa, ID
36 Ryan Burdett - West Valley City, UT
95 Cris Muhler - Brighton, CO
7 Joe Salmons - Greenwood Village, CO
Legend FAST - 25 Laps
22 Chris Eggleston - Erie
21 Ryan Jones - Arvada
78C Colton Crocker - Brighton
15 Danny Medina - CO Springs
16 Travis Roe - Thornton
66 Kyle Clegg - Westminster
03 Darrell L Stewart - Arvada
57 Jarret Scarberry (R) - Denver
29 David Johnson - Denver
12 Bryanna Bruce - Wheatland, WY
4 Dillon Foster
88F Cade Fox (R) - Wellington
48 Preston Nakayama - Loveland
33 Dillyn Kellogg (R) - Denver
18 JJ Sanders - Aurora
01 Gary Land - Littleton
98H Samuel Haugen (R) - Centennial
75 Austin Hackenberg - Greeley
38 Garrett Wilson - Platteville
1 Ryan Land - Littleton
74 Trayc Walker-Scott (R) - Parker
32 Cody Milan - Fort Collins
27 Brian Harlow - CO Springs
64 Zeke Hanger
04 Natalie Foster - Westminster
11 Jeremy Lange - Wheatland, WY
28 Adam Powers
Legend - 25 Laps
73 Mike Markison (R) - Fort Collins
62 Erik Bain (R)
26 David Anadon - CO Springs
9 Terry McBride - Edgewater
17 Jeremy Krueger (R) - Arvada
19 Dominic Moss (R) - Arvada
32M Randy Milan - Fort Collins
95 Jessilyn Dike - Westminster
78 Ashlyn Himler - Erie
28A Elijah Anadon (R) - CO Springs
34 Patty Sylvester (R) - Greeley
8 Jason Schmerse
Pure Stocks - 25 Laps
8A Austin Richards
OH7 Aubrei Hilton - Brighton
22 AJ Hill - Brighton
8 Isaac Almaswari - Brighton
41G Chris Galvin
M60 Morris Christner - Elizabeth
02 Chan Raley
13 Isaac Slinker - Broomfield
32 Rick Phillips (R) - Aurora
06 Scott Johnson (R) - Evans
78 Mark Bremkamp
24 Matthew Knowles - Littleton
4G Daniel Green - Byers
90 Dustin Hill
9 Cole Baker - Fort Collins
66 Michael Maldonado - Pueblo
15 Brendan Knowles
3 Ronald Burnett
56 John Ranum (R) - Denver
91 Cole Whitford - Brighton
12S Shawn Sulley
53 Josh Hopkins (R)
96 Vanessa Raley
1 Derek Spalding
51 Joe Bedwell (R) - Thornton DNS 18Y Justin Young DNS 7X Dustin Camp - Cheyenne, WY
Bandolero Outlaw - 10 Laps
68 Wyatt Dent - Brighton
21 Madilyn Lange - Wheatland, WY
08 Tanner McKim - Berthoud
38 Javon Barnard - Northglenn
61 Lilly Tuttle - Denver DNS 33 Dillyn Kellogg - Denver
Bandolero Bandit - 10 Laps
5 Reagan Fruge
89 Justin Barnard - Northglenn
12 Aspyn Lange - Wheatland, WY
95J Jaxson Muhler - Brighton
44 Emersyn Weitzel
44K
07 Madison Stanley - Thornton
98 Kyleigh Novak - Brighton
23 Peyton Opperman - Littleton
29 Nora Smith - Littleton