Colorado National Speedway, Erie, CO, June 9, 2007 2007 June 24
On June 9′th I visited Colorado National Speedway located about 20 miles or so north of Denver in Erie, Co. The track is a nice 3/8 mile paved oval. There is also a figure 8 track. The track is really nice and fast, and the grandstands are well kept. The main attraction for me on this night was the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association (RMMRA). This was the first time I have seen the RMMRA but I have seen a number of their drivers at the Chili Bowl and other events and they have some good racers so I was really looking forward to it. This was so, even though I much rather see the midgets on a dirt track. While the RMMRA races didn’t disappoint, their car count was rather low. There was only 12 midget racers, including invader Micky Gilbert, who has competed in the Indy Pro series. Tony Rossi lead from the start, but Kyle Ray passed him in traffic and went on to take the win. Also on the card was asphalt late models who likewise put on a good show. I’d highly recommend catching a race at this track if you are in the area and like paved short-track racing. If you do show up, you might want to get a burrito from the stand in between turns one and two as my sampling proved to be pretty tasty.
After the regular events where over for the night, they had a School Bus race on the Figure 8 race. These guys where not shy about going through the “X” even if buses where coming the other way, but there was no major accidents. The figure 8′s where entertaining and the school-aged kids loved them The school-aged kids had a chance to love them and go in the pits afterwords since the racing was over well before 10:00 PM. I wish more short tracks could figure out how to put on a full night of racing and still gets fans home at a decent hour.
Colorado becomes the 41′st state for me to see a race in, and the tracks at Colorado National Speedway become the 159′th and 160′th track on my list.
My 2007 race stats after visiting Located in Erie, the track is a 3/8 paved oval on June 9 are:
Races: 18
Tracks: 13 (9 new) (159 lifetime)
States: 12 (6 new) (41 lifetime)
My 2007 race stats after watching the school bus figure 8 race at Colorado National Speedway on June 9 are:
Races: 18*
Tracks: 14 (10 new) (160 lifetime)
States: 12 (6 new) (41 lifetime)
* If I don’t have to move from my seat, it doesn’t count as a new race in my book, even if it is a new track.