September 16th, 2023 (Dacono, CO)
Championships are upon us here at CNS, and as each division draws to a close this season, expect to see the best racing in the West take place on our asphalt. The Grand American Modifieds and Pure Stocks wrapped up their championships on Saturday, September 16th, 2023, and the Super Late Models also joined the intensity with a special race of their own, chasing a generous purse for 100 laps. The No. 96 car owned by Butch Snow even made a few laps ahead of his namesake memorial race. Driven by Snow’s son, the beautifully restored race car gave our fans a good look at racing past and present sharing one racetrack.
Bella Flooring America Super Late Models
Fast Dash – 25 Laps
With $1,000 at the end of the Fast Dash, Kody Vanderwal put the No. 43 machine to the point at the drop of the green flag over the No. 18 of Eddie Vecchiarelli. They made slight contact, allowing Preston Peltier’s No. 48 to sneak by both. He claimed the lead just two laps later. Vecchiarelli found himself under fire from Kyle Ray’s No. 58 for third but managed to hold him off. Then, the No. 22 of Chris Eggleston began to work on Ray, while Vecchiarelli and Vanderwal went side-by-side for second. Vecchiarelli got out ahead and began to cut the distance on Peltier, who maintained his lead. Eggleston got past Ray and tried to close on Vanderwal, but couldn’t make it work. Meanwhile, Peltier scored the win and the purse.
Dash – 25 Laps
The No. 32 driven by Brett Yackey leaped out front immediately, leaving second place to be decided between the No. 84 of Matt Zwingelberg and the No. 74 of Dan Savage. Enter Bruce Yackey, who threw the No. 12 machine into the mix, grabbing Zwingelberg and using the momentum to put Savage behind them. Bruce Yackey then took it side-by-side for second with Zwingelberg, allowing Brett Yackey to get away with a comfortable lead. A caution was waved for debris, putting the two Yackey machines on the front row, and Brett reclaimed the top spot as Savage and Zwingelberg renewed their fight for P3. Savage claimed the spot, while Brett Yackey went on to win the Dash and the $500 prize.
Butch Snow Memorial 100 – 100 Lap Feature
Twenty-two race cars took the green flag with $15,000 on the line, following Matt Martinez’s No. 61 and Austin Radosta’s No. 23 across the stripe for the 100-lap SLM Feature. Martinez leaped to an early lead, while the No. 37 of Ethan Hunter and the No. 08 of Jace Hansen went at it for second place. Then, Hunter was freight-trained and plummeted as several race cars got past him, led by Hansen as he looked to the inside lane. A few laps later, the No. 08 went to the top of the board, and Martinez continued to slip backward, winding up behind the No. 22 of Chris Eggleston. The top seven cars broke away in a nose-to-tail formation, and just a few laps later, the leaders caught the tail end of the field and began to dodge lapped traffic. Hansen maintained the lead, while Preston Peltier put the No. 48 machine to the inside of Michael Scott’s No. 82 race car for fourth place. Despite being lapped, the tail end of the field didn’t let up, going side-by-side and creating a significant obstacle for the leaders. Even so, the top three cars managed to put some distance down, as Peltier and Scott carried on their battle for P4.
Hansen didn’t let up, keeping the No. 08 machine well ahead despite the traffic. Peltier, having conquered P4, set after Eggleston for third in a mission to get to the front. In short order, he’d cleared Eggleston and shot into second place with only Hansen in his sights. It didn’t take him long to grab Hansen, and in short order, he had the lead, although their brief battle gave the pack time to catch up. Peltier’s forward momentum kept him comfortably out front. Then, a multicar incident caused a caution just past the halfway mark, forcing Scott to pull the No. 82 behind the wall to address crash damage. He was able to return before the green flag waved. Hansen and Peltier were placed on even ground on the first row, although Peltier had no problem reclaiming the point. Then, Hansen and Eddie Vecchiarelli’s No. 18 made slight contact, causing the No. 08 to wash up the track and allowing Peltier to get away. Once again, lapped traffic became a factor before the competition caution waved with 20 laps left. This put Vecchiarelli and Peltier up front, with the latter reclaiming the lead on the green flag. Hansen lined Vecchiarelli up and touched bumpers heading into Turn 1, continuing to pace Peltier.
Meanwhile, Scott managed to claw his way back into the top 10 after the earlier incident. Hansen lost ground on the leaders, while Peltier continued to pace the field with a significant lead. He went on to flash across the line in first place, earning not only the trophy but also laying claim to the generous $15,000 purse after a well-earned victory.
Quick Time: No. 48, Preston Peltier, 15.869
Dash: No. 32, Brett Yackey
Fast Dash: No. 48, Preston Peltier
Feature: No. 48, Preston Peltier
Sunoco Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds
Feature 1 – 20 Laps
With a championship on the line, the GAMs, 20 cars strong, took to the track for their first of two Feature events. Ed Vecchiarelli in the No. 18 and Jordon Smith’s No. 13 went after the top spot right away, while Kyle Clegg’s No. 51 and Forest Smith’s No. 69 took it two-wide for second place. Clegg nabbed the position and set after the leaders. Meanwhile, after starting 12th, points leader Chris Cox had managed to muscle the No. 49 into eighth place but had to rein it back in as a caution waved over the speedway due to contact between the No. 3 of Jeremiah Hill and the No. 2 of Steve Rodenbaugh. When the race restarted, the No. 89 of Jacob Smith shot past Jordon Smith for second place, although he quickly became the target of Clegg as the latter pressured him for position. Clegg took third away, joining the mix for the lead as he paced Smith and Vecchiarelli. They made sight contact but were able to keep their race cars under them, fighting tooth and nail to the checkers. All said and done, the No. 13 of Jordon Smith was declared the winner.
Feature 2 – 30 Laps
Cox, still in line to score the championship, started sixth for the second GAM Feature, watching as Forest Smith’s No. 69 and CJ Wilson’s No. 9 led the field to the green flag. Just three laps in, the caution waved for Hill, who spun out without help and couldn’t clear the racing surface. The restart put Forest Smith and Jacob Smith neck-and-neck, although Forest was able to get away with the top spot after a shot from Wilson. Then, Wilson dove to the inside of Forest Smith, but before he could open the lead, the No. 8H of Larry Hunter went around in Turn 2, causing another caution. Forest Smith once again had to fend off Wilson when the green flag dropped, which was not an easy fight – they kept it side-by-side for quite a few laps, while Jordon Smith quietly lurked in third and waited for his chance. However, it wouldn’t be Jordon Smith to dethrone them, as Clegg’s No. 51 suddenly entered the mix for the lead and snagged it from Wilson, who got crowded behind a lapped car and held up. Two cars spun together, though, with five laps left, bunching the field up for a caution and a restart. One of the involved vehicles, the No. 8 of Benjamin Stanley, appeared to break on the restart, drifting high as the No. 55 of Damien Lockhart spun and collected the No. 3 of Hill. A final restart saw Clegg and Wilson take the green flag up front, and while Wilson tried to get past Clegg, it would be the No. 51 in Victory Lane at the end of the night after a dead heat to the line. Clegg climbed the fence to celebrate his win, and Cox burned down the backstretch in celebration of his championship, while Jordon Smith was named Rookie of the Year.
Quick Time: No. 51, Kyle Clegg, 17.247
Feature 1: No. 13, Jordon Smith
Feature 2: No. 51, Kyle Clegg
2023 GAM Champion: No. 49, Chris Cox
2023 GAM Rookie of the Year: No. 13, Jordon Smith
Rock ‘N’ Roll Brewery Pure Stocks
Feature 1 – 20 Laps
The first of two Features was led by Scott Johnson’s No. 06 and Rick Phillips’ No. 32. Phillips couldn’t hold on against a charge from the No. 8, Isaac Almaswari; the No. 66, Mike Maldanado Jr.; and the No. 8A, Austin Richards, who quickly put him in the dust. Maldonado then tried to pass Almaswari, but the back end of his race car stepped out, causing him to lose ground. However, he gathered it back up and shot after Almaswari again, claiming the lead just five laps in. Meanwhile, the No. 6 of Ben Hendricks surged past Richards for fourth after trading paint. Maldonado went side-by-side for the lead, finally clearing Almaswari in Turn 2 at the halfway point. Then, the No. 3 of Ronald Burnett muscled his way past Hendricks for third. Richards and Johnson, meanwhile, tried to settle their dispute for fifth place, and Richards got it just in the nick of time. Maldonado led Almaswari across the line for his first PS Feature win, and it’s also worth noting that the No. 22 of AJ Hill managed to salvage an 11th-place finish after starting near the rear of the field.
Feature 2 – 25 Laps
The 2023 PS champion reached its zenith on Saturday, putting points leader Richards on the pole. However, it would be Burnett who would lead the first lap, while Richards defended second place against Hendricks. Almaswari and Maldonado picked up where they left off after the first feature, pressuring Richards. Hendricks stepped out slightly, opening the door for Richards to take second, still chasing Burnett up front. Then, the No. 99 of Dillon Meigs experienced a mechanical failure, causing a caution. Burnett and Richards wound up on the front row together again, and Burnett dove away from the pack to take the lead once more while Maldonado looked for a way around them. Then, a caution waved for the No. 7X of Dustin Camp, who had spun out. Richards and Burnett went for the green flag side-by-side again and Burnett took off as Moldonado passed Richards for second. Unwilling to surrender the position that quickly, Richards kept pressure on Maldonado as the two continued to chase Burnett. The No. 66 machine took control of the race away from Burnett, demoting him to second place while Almaswari and Richards did battle for third. Burnett took one last shot at Maldonado, but couldn’t make it stick – however, upon postrace inspection, Burnett was declared winner. Richards clinched the championship after a stellar season, and Burnett was also able to celebrate as Rookie of the Year.
Quick Time: No. 66, Mike Maldonado Jr., 20.031
Feature 1: No. 66, Mike Maldonado Jr.
Feature 2: No. 3, Ronald Burnett
2023 PS Champion: No. 8A, Austin Richards
2023 PS Rookie of the Year: No. 3, Ronald Burnett
Demo X Action
Lite Winner: No. 57 Brandon Woodall
Heavy Winner: No. 82 Ty Cowell
OFFICIAL RESULTS:
Super Late Models - 100 Laps
48 Preston Peltier - Johnstown
08 Jace Hansen - Greeley
22 Chris Eggleston - Erie
18 Eddie Vecchiarelli - Brighton
32 Brett Yackey - Greeley
11 Darren Robertson - Westminster
58 Kyle Ray - Littleton
82 Michael Scott - Hillsdale, WY
43 Kody Vanderwal - LaSalle
37 Ethan Hunter - CO Springs
29 Matt Brunker - Lakewood
12 Bruce Yackey - Greeley
23 Austin Radosta - Pueblo
7 Adam Deines - Longmont
3 John Negri III - Byers
61 Matt Martinez - Parker
74 Dan Savage - Aurora
23G Jim Gress - Amarillo, TX
84 Matt Zwingelberg - Parker
16 Steve Mills - CO Springs
27H Mike Hathaway - Falcon DNS 07 Daniel Mares - Aurora DNS 89 Zach Morris - Greenwood Village DQ 24 Cody Dempster - Parker
Grand American Modifieds Feature 1 - 20 Laps
13S Jordan Smith (R) - Littleton
51 Kyle Clegg - Westminster
89 Jacob Smith - Littleton
9 CJ Wilson - Penrose
69 Forest Smith - Bellvue
18 Ed Vecchiarelli - Brighton
49 Chris Cox - Brighton
22 Travis Rudolph - Thornton
3 Jeremiah Hill - Walsenburg
8 Benjamin Stanley (R) - Thornton
52 Jared Wall (R) - Commerce City
15 Jereme Wall (R) - Commerce City
7 David Robinson - Johnstown
2 Steve Rodenbaugh - Rapid City, SD
55 Damian Lockhart (R) - Hudson
8H Larry Hunter - Englewood
Grand American Modifieds Feature 2 - 30 Laps
51 Kyle Clegg - Westminster
9 CJ Wilson - Penrose
13S Jordan Smith (R) - Littleton
69 Forest Smith - Bellvue
89 Jacob Smith - Littleton
49 Chris Cox - Brighton
52 Jared Wall (R) - Commerce City
55 Damian Lockhart (R) - Hudson
3 Jeremiah Hill - Walsenburg
22 Travis Rudolph - Thornton
8 Benjamin Stanley (R) - Thornton
15 Jereme Wall (R) - Commerce City
7 David Robinson - Johnstown
2 Steve Rodenbaugh - Rapid City, SD
8H Larry Hunter - Englewood DNS 18 Ed Vecchiarelli - Brighton
Pure Stocks Feature 1 - 20 Laps
66 Mike Maldonado Jr
8 Isaac Almaswari - Brighton
3 Ronald Burnett (R)
6 Ben Hendricks (R) - Cheyenne, WY
8A Austin Richards
32 Rick Phillips (R) - Aurora
12S Shawn Sulley
M60 Morris Christner - Elizabeth
13 Isaac Slinker - Broomfield
53 Josh Hopkins (R)
22 AJ Hill - Brighton
99 Dillon Meigs (R) - Penrose
18Y Justin Young
1 Derek Spalding
7X Dustin Camp
06 Scott Johnson (R) - Evans
56 John Ranum (R) - Denver
45 Shane Johnson (R) - Centennial
5 David Wilson (R) DNS 78 Mark Bremkamp - Brighton
Pure Stocks Feature 2 - 25 Laps
3 Ronald Burnett (R)
8 Isaac Almaswari - Brighton
8A Austin Richards
6 Ben Hendricks - Cheyenne
32 Rick Phillips (R) - Aurora
66 Mike Maldonado Jr
12S Shawn Sulley
M60 Morris Christner - Elizabeth
13 Isaac Slinker - Broomfield
5 David Wilson (R)
53 Josh Hopkins (R)
22 AJ Hill - Brighton
1 Derek Spalding
7X Dustin Camp
18Y Justin Young
56 John Ranum (R) - Denver
06 Scott Johnson (R) - Evans
99 Dillon Meigs (R) - Penrose DNS 45 Shane Johnson - Centennial DNS 78 Mark Bremkamp - Brighton