Two night’s of great racing action and a fireworks show each night highlighted the annual Memorial Day double-header at Colorado National Speedway. Thankfully Mother Nature took a step back and granted the crowd nice warm weather for both events.
Night One.
(May 26th 2018, Dacono CO) Night one of the Memorial Day double-header was the General Air Salute to Armed Forces Night featuring the Super Late Models, Grand American Modifieds, Super Stocks, Pure Stocks and Figure 8s.
Gillett Vet Clinic Super Late Models
Dominic Ursetta’s last appearance at Colorado National Speedway in the Gillett Vet Clinic Super Late Models was all the back in June of 2017. Yet Ursetta would make the most of his first CNS SLM race in almost a year as he dominated the field in the 50 lap feature event.
Jace Hansen had control early in the race (Starr photo)
Early in the race it was a great 3 car battle between race leader #08 Jace Hansen, Ursetta and previous race winner #22 Chris Eggleston. The 3 cars were nose to tail lap after lap until they encountered heavy traffic and Hansen got pinned down low by some slower cars. Not only did Hansen lose a couple spots but also suffered minor damage to his right front body panels.
Dominic Ursetta in winner’s circle at CNS (Starr photo)
It’s tough to say if Ursetta could have got around Hansen had he not got trapped in lapped traffic but what cannot be denied is how fast Dominic was in clean air out front. Ursetta set a blistering pace leaving even Chris Eggleston 10 car lengths behind which is no easy task. Ursetta left no question as to who was the dominant car in the field taking home the big win on night one of the Memorial Day double-header. Eggleston settled for 2nd place with Hansen coming in 3rd. Michael Scott in the #82 had a great run taking home 4th place after starting way back in 10th position. Bruce “the Moose” Yackey rounded out the top 5.
The Super Late Models next race is Saturday June 16th.
FEATURE: #6 Dominic Ursetta FAST DASH: #42 Mark Neff DASH: #19 Matthew Martinez QUICK TIME: #22 Chris Eggleston 16.433
SUNOCO Race Fuels Grand American Modified
Clint Schubert in the bright green 44s jumped out to an early lead in the SUNOCO Race Fuels Grand American Modified feature event. Once out front Clint built a large lead on the field leaving #58 Kyle Ray, #18 Ed Vecchiarelli and #44 Justin Case to battle for 2nd place. Ray would slow on the back straight losing several positions yet ultimately salvage a 4th place finish.
With 5 laps to go a caution came out for #66 John Seely who spun coming out of turn 4. The double-file restart wasn’t what Schubert wanted to see as it allowed Justin Case to get the jump on the field during the restart. The pair of 44 cars raced the remaining 5 laps but in the end it was Case taking the win with Schubert right behind. 3rd place went to #18 Ed Vecchiarelli.
Justin Case takes the checkered flag at CNS (Starr photo)
The Grand American Modifieds return to action in a 50 lap feature on June 2nd.
FEATURE: #44 Justin Case FAST DASH: #58 Kyle Ray DASH: #13 Darin Clark QUICK TIME: #18 Ed Vecchiarelli 17.323
Great Scott’s Eatery Super Stocks
Tensions were high at the start of the Great Scott’s Eatery Super Stocks feature event. Robert Davey took the early lead but it was contact between the 99s of Sam Messerli and #3 Michael Cox that grabbed the attention of the crowd. Messerli had tagged the 3 car and so Cox went to repay the favor going onto turn 1. But this time Cox inadvertently flattened his own tire sending his car to the pits. All of the action behind the leader allowed Davey to build what seemed like an insurmountable lead.
With all eyes were on the action in the top 5 Jonathan Lindberg in the red #60 was methodically working his way to the front of the pack from the 18th starting position. Lindberg masterfully reeled in the leaders car by car until eventually he found himself in 2nd place yet still a long way back of Davey in the #3.2. It didn’t seem as if there was enough race left for Lindberg to catch Davey but within a few laps Jonathan dove low on Davey to grab the top spot in the race and then eventually the checkered flag.
#60 Jonathan Lindberg on his way to the front (Starr photo)
Davey would settle for 2nd behind Lindberg’s amazing run with #43 Kody Vanderwal, Messerli and #45 Rebecca Simpson taking 3rd, 4th and 5th. The Super Stocks are back action at CNS on Saturday June 9th.
Lincoln Tech Pure Stocks
24 Pure Stocks rumbled to the green flag for a 25 lap feature event in a field filled with fresh faces. The Pure Stocks are a division designed to be a starting place for new drivers yet typically put on some of the most entertaining racing at the speedway. Tyler Mander who came on strong in 2017 finishing 2nd in points worked his way to the front from his 8th place starting position in the black #03 car. Once up front Mander would never look back and go on to win the feature event.
Pure Stocks battle in the feature (Starr photo)
Mander’s strong run set the division on notice that he is one to watch in 2018 And as impressive as Mander’s run was #82 Justin Karrol who started the feature 19th found himself crossing the line 2nd after navigating the large field of cars. Karrol who had earlier set quick time raised some eyebrows with his impressive run.
The Pure Stocks return to action on Saturday June 16th.
Chick-Fil-A Figure 8s
Jereme Wall has won the last 3 Figure 8 championships but struggled in the fast dash ultimately finishing near the back of the field. Wall was slated to start in the 3rd row of the feature but several cars in front of him crashed out or had mechanical issues placing Wall on the pole position for the start of the feature. Jereme wasted no time building a huge lead on the field in his #15 machine.
Big Al Duran who come out of retirement for this event hit the wall hard and brought out the red flag ending his night early in the race. Possibly the most hair raising moment of the event was #12 Harvey Webb Jr. who made one of the most daring passes though the X in recent memory as he sliced though traffic with not an inch to spare.
But up front it was Wall to Wall with Jereme dominating the event and Jared “Wally” Wall coming in 2nd. Previous race winner Justin McKeachie snagged 3rd place in the #50 while Harry Livermore Jr. was 4th.
NIGHT TWO
(May 27, 2018 Dacono CO) Night two of the Memorial Day double-header at CNS was the Children’s Hospital Race for Kids which featured the Pro Trucks, Late Models, Legend Cars, Trains, and the first ever race for the Bandoleros at CNS.
Snap-On Tools Pro Trucks
The Pro Trucks were the final event in the Memorial Day double-header and #22 Brian Yackey and #36 Matt Burton paced the field for the green flag. For the first several laps Burton and Yackey would race side by side neither driver giving an inch. But after a caution and subsequent restart Burton didn’t get the start he wanted and fell to 3rd place allowing #82 Michael Scott to slip by and challenge Yackey for the lead.
At the halfway mark Yackey had built a large lead on Scott but that’s when the 82 car started reeling in the leader. Once Scott caught Yackey it became clear that Yackey’s truck had become very loose especially exiting turn 4. Yackey did a good job dealing with an ill handling truck but couldn’t hold off Scott who went around Yackey for the lead.
Michael Scott in winner’s circle (Starr photo)
Scott who had earlier set quick time with a 17.554 settled into a smooth groove and guided his truck all the way to winner’s circle his second feature win in a row. Yackey held on for second and #43 Kody Vanderwal was 3rd. And impressive run for young Tyler Davis in the #33 truck landed him in 4th to go along with his fast dash win while Burton would be the final truck in the top 5.
FEATURE: #82 Michael Scott FAST DASH: #33 Tyler Davis DASH: #34 Rudy Vanderwal QUICK TIME: #82 Michael Scott 17.554
Galitz Transportation Late Models
Grab your broom because it was a clean sweep for Brett Yackey in the Galitz Transportation Late Models setting quick time, winning the fast dash, and capturing his 2nd feature of the season. Initially it didn’t look like it was Yackey’s night as he had to start the feature back in 9th place and there were some very fast cars in front of him. Lee Kemmit in the #98 and Paul Deines in the #17 put on a good battle up front early while Nathan Gasser held the 3rd spot.
Once Yackey cleared rookie Eric Bowers, Monte Paulsen, Wade Grove and Chad Cowen he started mounting his charge to the front. Just after the halfway mark in the race a caution came out which was good news for Yackey allowing him to catch the leaders but it was Kemmit who flexed his muscle pushing back into the lead on the outside. However Yackey’s car was hooked up and he was especially fast down low using the inside lane to pass Kemmit for the lead.
Brett Yackey on his way to his second victory at CNS in 2018 (Starr photo)
When Yackey had the lead there was nobody that was going to take it from him and he cruised to yet another Late Model victory. Behind Yackey, Deines took home 2nd and Cowen would get by Kemmit for 3rd place.
The Late Models will be back in action on Saturday June 16th
FEATURE: 7y Brett Yackey FAST DASH: 7y Brett Yackey DASH: #16 Steve Mills QUICK TIME: #7 Brett Yackey 17.999
Elite V Twin Legend Cars
It was the third day of the Rumble in the Rockies for the Elite V Twin Legend Cars and for this national qualifier 37 cars checked into the pits. Making things even more fun was Legend Nation TV was on-hand to broadcast the entire event live on the internet.
When the feature event started Adam Pechman grabbed the early lead but by lap two Jason Irwin from Las Vegas had assumed control of the race. Irwin had to pass just 3 cars to get to the front while Kyle Clegg and Chris Eggleston were trapped back in 9th and 10th.
The race did have a couple of different crashes which slowed the pace but the end was well worth the wait. Eventually both Clegg and Eggleston would catch Irwin and begin to battle for the lead.
Irwin, Clegg, and Eggleston battle for the lead (Starr photo)
A late restart put Clegg on the outside of Irwin but it was Eggleston from the second row that made a daring move to grab the lead from the 9x. There were just two laps to go when yet another caution setup another restart. This time Clegg was determined to get by Chris for the lead and thought he had the inside line going into turn 3. The two cars made contact and both were sent spinning into the apex of the corner. Clegg was able to restart at the back of the pack but Eggleston’s night was done.
Jason Irwin in winner’s circle (Starr photo)
With the 22 and the 66 out of the race it was Jason Irwin’s night. Danny Medina was able to put on a bit of pressure but when the dust settled it was Irwin in victory circle followed by #15 Danny Medina and #48 Cody Dempster.
FEATURE: #9 Jason Irwin FAST DASH: #66 Kyle Clegg DASH: #03 Darrell L Stewart QUICK TIME: #9 Jason Irwin 18.822
Bandoleros
The CNS crowd got their first look at the Bandolero division which is designed for young drivers 8 to 16. The field was split in two based on driver experience and the cars run on what’s called a “roval” which is part oval and part roadcoarse. This allows the drivers to use a bit of skill navigating the turns. The kids put on a fun show for the fans as Aubrei Hilton and Cullen Lewis won the feature events.
FAST FEATURE: #16 Cullen Lewis FEATURE: #07 Aubrei Hilton Dash 1: #8 Danielle Walbaum Dash 2: #51 Jim Huston Milligan Fast Dash 1: #16 Cullen Lewis Fast Dash 2: #78 Brody Moore
Witthar Racing Trains FEATURE: #86 Last Call
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Night One…
Super Late Models Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 6 Dominic Ursetta Arvada 2. 22 Chris Eggleston Thornton 3. 08 Jace Hansen Greeley 4. 82 Michael Scott Cheyenne 5. 12 Bruce Yackey Greeley 6. 58 Kyle Ray Littleton 7. 21 Conner Snow Morrison 8. 43 Kody Vanderwal LaSalle 9. 42 Mark Neff Berthoud 10. 24 Cody Dempster (R) Parker 11. 32 Brett Yackey Greeley 12. 22X Mark Jones Denver 13. 27 Roger Avants Littleton 14. 80 Ray Daniels Monument 15. 91 Chris Atkinson Cheyenne 16. 79 Brad Jenkins (R) Castle Rock 17. 29 Matt Brunker Lakewood 18. 25 Monty Skinner Black Hawk 19. 14A Alejandro Ortiz (R) Denver 20. 19 Matthew Martinez Parker 21. 60 Rick Duckworth (R) Arvada DNS 53 Nathan Gasser Lochbuie
Grand American Modifieds Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 44 Justin Case Brighton 2. 44s Clinton Schubert Calhan 3. 18 Ed Vecchiarelli Brighton 4. 58 Kyle Ray Littleton 5. 84 Aaron Paulsen Pueblo West 6. 77 Danny Liebert (R) 7. 13 Darin Clark Cheyenne 8. 66 John Seely Parker 9. 72 Ryan Higgs (R) Lakewood 10. 7 Michael McGinn (R) Thornton 11. 88 Brad Skufca (R) 12. 85 Donald Cole Dacono 13. 59 Charlie Wilson Primrose
Super Stocks Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 60 Jonathan Lindberg Brighton 2. 3.2 Robert Davey Erie 3. 43 Kody Vanderwal LaSalle 4. 99s Sam Messerli Thornton 5. 45 Rebecca Simpson Colo Springs 6. 32 Cody Milan (R) Ft. Collins 7. 11t Nicholas Tabor Cheyenne 8. 21R Robert Hoard (R) Cheyenne 9. 88 Nick Davis 10. 19 Shelby Cortese Thornton 11. 21 Christopher Nelson Arvada 12. 02 Darrell Smith Littleton 13. 11s Kyle Schoessow 14. 14 Bill Simmons III 15. 24x Aaron Masters (R) 16. 27 Christopher Hageman (R) Commerce City 17. 16 Dimitrois Bastianos 18. 29 Justin Griffin 19. 3 Michael Cox Englewood 20. 55 Damian Lockhart Arvada
Pure Stocks Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 03 Tyler Mander Evans 2. 82 Justin Karrol LaSalle 3. 99R Ryan Raley Jr Thornton 4. 51 Joseph Dike Westminster 5. 86 Tim Coate Highlands Ranch 6. 60 Matthew Hill (R) Brighton 7. 7 David Robinson Johnstown 8. 88 Jacob Poole Evans 9. 22 Addison J Hill (R) Brighton 10. 23 Jordan Abeyta Denver 11. 29G Justin Griffin Greeley 12. 43X Terri Pugliese (R) Northglenn 13. 3T Topher Galvin Thornton 14. 31 Michael Mathiesen Dacono 15. 38 Jesse Davis Thornton 16. 37 Scott Dent (R) Brighton 17. 52 Chad Southerland Commerce City 18. 18W Keanna Weber Henderson 19. 38 Colton Green 20. 3 Brian Lengvenas Thornton 21. 02 Chan Raley Thornton 22. 23b Melissa Salazar DNS 26 Josh Friberg Westminster DNS 68J Matt Sowash Lakewood DNS 92 Wayne Kretzmeier Greeley
Figure 8s Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 15 Jereme Wall Commerce City 2. 52 Jared Wall Commerce City 3. 50 Justin McKeachie Aurora 4. 17 Harry Livermore Jr. Denver 5. 40 Mike Mercer Byers 6. 3 Mike Wolfe Jr Westminster 7. 4 Sean Smith Greeley 8. 25 Phil Taylor Henderson 9. 7 Daniel Wood (R) Greeley 10. 12 Harvey Webb Jr Thornton 11. 9 Brent Cave Commerce City 12. 18 Amanda Stepanich (R) Arvada 13. 2 Jeremy Jackson Lakewood 14. 8 Brian McCartney (R) Colorado Springs 15. 23 Al Duran Lakewood DNS 35 Chris Voorhis Thornton DNS 11 Joe Gastineau Centennial
Night Two…
Pro Trucks Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 82 Michael Scott Cheyenne 2. 22 Brian Yackey (R) Greeley 3. 43 Kody Vanderwal La Salle 4. 33 Tyler Davis Thornton 5. 36 Matt Burton Englewood 6. 34 Rudy Vanderwal La Salle 7. 7J Justin Simonson 8. 5W Troy Witthar Eastlake 9. 11 Steve Johnson Windsor 10. 65 George Green Firestone 11. 71 Timothy DuVall Denver 12. 8 Jeff Walbaum Brighton
Late Models Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 7Y Brett Yackey Greeley 2. 17 Paul Deines Frederick 3. 76 Chad Cowan Gering 4. 98 Lee Kemmit Brighton 5. 33 Bear Lynch Arvada 6. 53G Nathan Gasser Westminster 7. 3 Wade Grove Thronton 8. 11 Monte Paulsen Pueblo West 9. 07 Dave Hondel (R) Cheyenne 10. 85 Don Cole (R) Dacono 11. 31 Derek Smith Mead 12. 72 Gary Cagle Ft Collins 13. 9 Brent Cave Brighton 14. 98P Natalie Phelps (R) Cheyenne 15. 50 Justin McKeachie (R) 16. 27 Wendi Lewis Johnstown 17. 29 Rayshawn Carter Denver 18. 6 Jason Sharp Fountain 19. 94 Kyle Morse Peyton 20. 30 Jan Oxley Ft Lupton 21. 16 Steve Mills Colorado Springs 22. 24 Eric Bowers (R) Colorado Springs 23. 28 Dave Brown
Legend Cars Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 9x Jason Irwin* Albuquerque 2. 15 Danny Medina Colorado Springs 3. 48 Cody Dempster Parker 4. 32 Blair Cooper Arvada 5. 05 Nick Cooper Loveland 6. 6 Scotty Scott Arvada 7. 30 Darrell J Stewart Arvada 8. 16 Travis Roe Thornton 9. 25 Adam Pechman Morrison 10. 51 AJ Canda Castle Rock 11. 21 Ryan Jones Arvada 12. 66 Kyle Clegg Westminster 13. 23 Austyn Radosta Pueblo 14. 03 Darrell L Stewart Arvada 15. 86 Travis Rudolph 16. 20 Kynzer Riddell Westminster 17. 88 Paul Himler Erie 18. 08K Krystal Faulkingham Westminster 19. 5 Gary Wegener 20. 96 Ryan Rudolph (R) 21. 97 Bill Blevins* Arvada 22. 33 Dean Kallas Golden 23. 22 Chris Eggleston Thornton 24. 13 Jason Hulvey Thornton 25. 44 Alfred Matthews Arvada 26. 28 Adam Powers(R) Silverthorne 27. 95 Jessilyn Dike(R) Westminster 28. 10 Adam Romero Denver 29. 72 Cynthia Robb (R) Wheatridge 30. 00 Christopher Saykally(R) Denver 31. 19 Larry Pachello Arvada 32. 62 Roy Dunlap Cheyenne 33. 1 Dana Smith (R)
Trains Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 86 Last Call Jared and Terri 2. 1 Robert Davey Dave Schmidt 3. 8 Anger Management Kelly and Nic 4. 5 Hearse Train Alex and Alegra 5. 26 6. 311 Bipolar Express Cassie and Glenna 7. 13 Crazy Train Taylor and Stephanie
Bandolero Fast Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 16 Cullen Lewis Aurora 2. 3 Nandini Breggin 3. 78 Brody Moore Dillon 4. 18 Jim Chello Milligan 5. 10 Lilli McAfee Thornton 6. 06 Mahkrysta Hilton Brighton 7. 7X Kate Morse 8. 74 Trayc Walker-Scott Parker 9. 03 isaac Almaswari Lochbuie 10. 14 Cody King
Bandolero Pos No. Name Hometown 1. 07 Aubrei Hilton Brighton 2. 51 Jim Huston Milligan 3. 11 Corey Sefcovic Brighton 4. 8 Danielle Walbaum Brighton 5. 52 Nic Wall Commerce City 6. 99 Isaiah Scott Cheyenne 7. 17 Cooper Lewis Aurora 8. 29 Ashlee Richard Henderson 9. 05 Salamon DeBauche Denver 10. 22 Andy Jones Littleton 11. 63 James Starcher Lyman