Towers And First Responders Night Out Delivers Unparalleled Action At CNS

Alexandra Purcell
Jul 21
8 min read

July 19, 2025 – Dacono, CO

There were plenty of tow trucks on hand at Colorado National Speedway on July 19^th, 2025, but not because they needed to give race cars a lift – we celebrated the annual Towers’ and First Responders’ Night Out, thanks to support from our towing and recovery partners Denver West Towing & Dedicated Towing & Recovery. About a dozen tow trucks turned laps before opening ceremonies, setting the stage for incredible showings from our Pure Stocks, Pro Trucks, Grand American Modifieds, and Trains. Fans were treated to a special show during intermission, too – the Colorado Vintage Oval Racers brought race cars and unique machines from just about every decade, turning them loose on the asphalt oval for some exhibition laps before we headed into our night’s Feature events. It was a hell of a show, so keep reading to get a rundown of Saturday’s action.

Matco Tools Pro Trucks

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

Led to the green by the No. 34 of Rudy Vanderwal and the No. 11 of Steve Johnson, ten Pro Trucks took the field for the Fast Dash. Vanderwal jumped out front early, but the No. 16 of Travis Roe quickly charged into second, with the No. 9 of Curtis Heldenbrand hot on his tail. Just four laps in, Heldenbrand found his rhythm and powered past Vanderwal to take the lead. Meanwhile, the No. 1 of Happy Ferree made a strong run from the third row, closing in on the leaders. Heldenbrand held steady out front, and on the final lap, Vanderwal drifted high, opening the door for Roe to slip into second at the stripe.

Dash – 10 Laps

Tanner Faatz took command early in his No. 20 truck, holding off relentless pressure from the No. 7 of Adam Deines. Deines searched high and low, working every lane to try and wrestle the lead away, but couldn’t find the momentum to make a pass stick. Behind them, the No. 00 of Brad Skufca settled into third, watching the battle unfold. Deines launched one last charge on the final lap, but Faatz held his line, going flag-to-flag for the win.

Feature – 40 Laps

Just to spice up an already thrilling night, officials added 10 laps to the Pro Truck Feature, making it a 40-lap showdown. The 20-truck field lined up on the front stretch before the green, giving fans a chance to admire the brightly colored machines before the action kicked off. Once racing got underway, Happy Ferree wasted no time slicing into the lead, bumping Steve Johnson back to P2. Behind them, Curtis Heldenbrand and Travis Roe duked it out for third, with Heldenbrand finally securing the spot and Roe tucking in behind him. Ferree found his rhythm early, stretching out a lead while expertly navigating lapped traffic, though he had a close call threading through a two-wide battle ahead. That run was cut short when a flat tire on another truck brought out the yellow.

On the restart, Ferree and Roe lined up on the front row. Ferree surged ahead once more, while Heldenbrand, restarting just behind them, had his hands full with a loose truck. He managed to hang on but slipped back to third as Roe ran off with second. Then, another caution flew for another flat, resetting the field once again. Ferree resumed command at the front, leaving Roe and Heldenbrand to continue their skirmish for P2. Roe gained a slight edge and finally found the speed to hold off Heldenbrand as the laps wound down. Up front, Ferree continued to build his lead, even as he caught the tail end of the field once more. Meanwhile, the No. 22 of Brian Yackey clawed his way back to seventh after suffering a tire issue earlier in the race.

Ferree had no trouble slicing through traffic again and cruised to the checkers, but the battle for second stayed tight to the end. Heldenbrand made a final push but ran out of time, settling for third behind Roe. Ferree’s dominant run marked his third win of the season – and just in time for his birthday on July 20th!

Quick Time: No. 1F, Happy Ferree

Fast Dash: No. 9, Curtis Heldenbrand

Dash: No. 20, Tanner Faatz

Feature: No. 1F, Happy Ferree

Sunoco Race Fuels Grand American Modifieds

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 69 of Forest Smith launched in front of the pack to lead the first lap, showing the way for the No. 6 of Scotty Scott and the No. 21 of Ryan Jones tailing him. After a brief battle mid-pack, the No. 66R of Eric Rhead slipped past the No. 51F of Cade Fox to take over fourth, then quickly set his sights on Jones, breaking into the top three. Up front, Scott didn’t let Smith get away. He kept the pressure on as the laps ticked down. On the final circuit, Scott made a valiant charge, pulling alongside Smith in a final bid for the win, but it was Smith in front as the checkers fell.

Dash – 10 Laps

The No. 3 of Jeremiah Hill went three-wide on the first lap, snatching the lead from the No. 7 of David Robinson after just one circuit. Behind him, the No. 55 of Damian Lockhart took on the No. 13S of Jordon Smith for P3. Though Lockhart completed the pass, Smith clung to his rear bumper as they both cut into Hill’s lead. Smith took the position back from Lockhart and made short work of Robinson, slicing into second place with Lockhart in hot pursuit. While Hill crossed the line out in front, Smith held off Lockhart for the runner-up position.

Feature – 30 Laps

Ryan Jones and Darin Clark’s No. 13 led the 15-car field to green. Clark set sail while Fox overtook Jones for second and quickly slashed Clark’s lead – at least until Fox’s race car swung too wide, scrubbing off precious speed and allowing Clark to run off again. Rhead and Jones battled for third as Fox regrouped for another shot at Clark. Just as Rhead locked in third, a stack-up in Turn 1 involving several cars - including some frontrunners - brought out the yellow. On the restart, Fox wasted no time taking the top spot, slipping past Clark, who quickly found himself under fire from Rhead. As Fox extended his lead, Clark and Rhead scrapped for second. Before the field could settle in for the long run, another caution flew, bunching the pack back up.

Fox nailed the restart and cruised back to the lead. Smith and Clark battled behind him for second until a multicar tangle on the backstretch took both out of the picture. That left Fox and Rhead on the front row with seven laps to go. Fox edged ahead once more, while the No. 90 of Frank Denning quietly worked his way past Jones into third. With clean air out front, Fox opened it up, leading Rhead in a fast-paced final run to the checkered. He crossed the line first to grab his third win of the season, with Rhead and Denning completing the podium.

Quick Time: No. 66R, Eric Rhead, 17.240

Fast Dash: No. 69, Forest Smith

Dash: No. 3, Jeremiah Hill

Feature: No. 51F, Cade Fox

Rock & Roll Brewery Pure Stocks

Fast Dash – 10 Laps

Starting from the pole position, the No. 18Y of Justin Young overtook the No. 12S of Shawn Sulley to lead the first lap. The No. 34 of Ronnie Johnson pulled alongside Sulley for P2, under fire from the No. 54 of Giovanni Scimeca, who made it a three-wide battle. Johnson finally pulled ahead of Sulley and Scimeca and cut into Young’s lead, but Young was able to hang on for the victory.

Dash – 10 Laps

Gauge Witthar assumed the lead in his No. 10W machine, followed by the No. 08 of Tanner McKim, who overtook the No. 64M of Morgan Eisenhauer for second. McKim chased Witthar down, pulling abreast of him as they briefly battled for the top spot. McKim finally completed the pass and took off, leaving Witthar to fend off the No. 5C of Michael Steward. McKim went on to win, while Witthar managed to cling to the runner-up position at the line.

Feature – 20 Laps

The rearview mirror of the No. 63 machine, driven by Kenneth Bowlus, was full of Ronnie Johnson from the drop of the green. Bowlus held the lead for just one lap before Johnson’s speed proved too much, and he clawed into the top spot. Justin Young followed Johnson through, with Shawn Sulley close behind as Bowlus slipped back through the field. While Sulley applied pressure to Young, Johnson began to stretch out his lead. Sulley eventually made his move, diving to the inside to snag second. Behind them, Tanner McKim quietly climbed into fourth after starting mid-pack.

As the leaders closed on two-wide lapped traffic, Johnson had to thread the needle, but he did so flawlessly, maintaining his advantage while keeping Sulley in the rearview. Johnson never let up, setting a blistering pace all the way to the checkers to claim his third win of the 2025 season.

All told, the PS field impressed with a clean, caution-free run from green to checkered. It was a smooth, fast race start to finish.

Quick Time: No. 34, Ronnie Johnson, 19.811

Fast Dash: No. 18Y, Justin Young

Dash: No. 08, Tanner McKim

Feature: No. 34, Ronnie Johnson

Lowry Insurance Trains

Feature – 8 Laps

With a double purse - $1,000 – waiting at the checkers sponsored by Denver West Towing & Dedicated Towing & Recovery. Seven Trains took the green flag. No. 86 Last Call claimed an early lead with No. 80HD SNAFU in hot pursuit. No. 91 Friday Night Special overtook SNAFU for second while Last Call led the charge through The X. Several Trains lost tires, throwing sparks as they looped around the Figure 8 course. All the while, Last Call held down the front of the field as Friday Night Special pursued them – but it would be Last Call ahead at the line, claiming the generous purse.

Last Call Train - Colorado National Speedway

Feature: No. 86, Last Call

With another summer weekend in the books, we’re extremely grateful to our partners, fans, employees, crews, and drivers for making it another incredible event. Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to welcome the CARS Tour to the fastest short track in the West! With an exciting night of racing lined up, we’re looking forward to packing the grandstands. We’re welcoming Kevin Harvick back to the track for the first time since 1997, so don’t miss out on your chance to watch a NASCAR Cup Series Champion in person! Advance tickets are available BY CLICKING HERE. Can’t wait to see y’all there for this historic race!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Pro Truck - 40 Laps