Colorado National Speedway is a paved oval in
Dacono,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, spanning . The track is currently a member of the
NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series
The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (formerly the Whelen All-American Series, Winston Racing Series and the Dodge Weekly Series) is a points championship for NASCAR-sanctioned local short track motor racing, short-track motor racing in th ...
and hosts the
ARCA Menards Series West
The ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR AutoZone West Series, NASCAR Winston West Series, NASCAR Winston Transcontinental Series and NASCAR Camping World West Series, is a regional stock car racing series ow ...
(former NASCAR K&N Pro Series West), th
King of the WingSprint Car Series, and the North American Big Rig Racing Series annually.
History
Founded in 1965 by Gene and Gerda Heffley, Colorado National Speedway sits at the foot of the Rocky Mountains at exit 232 off of I-25. Each summer, CNS hosts some of the best local racing in the country; along with several national touring series, car and motorcycle shows, swap meets, and an annual Father's Day Sunday Super Show featuring Monster Trucks, Stunt Bikes, and more. The Speedway opens for practice in April, racing begins in May, and events run through October. CNS is known locally for outstanding food, affordable tickets, and Northern Colorado's best fireworks display on holiday and special race events.
CNS hosted the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock car racing, s ...
during its first three seasons, 1995 through 1997. The
1995 Total Petroleum 200
The 1995 Total Petroleum 200 took place on July 15 at Colorado National Speedway in Dacono, Colorado.
This event was 200 laps long and it was the eleventh race (first season) of the series where it held the closest margin of victory in the his ...
featured a last lap battle where
Butch Miller edged out
Mike Skinner by .001 second for his only series win.
This is listed as the closest finish in series history, although the video replay of the race may dispute that measurement. The
1996 Colorado 200 saw Skinner dominate leading the final 220 laps and beat Miller by .7 seconds.
Ron Hornaday Jr.
Ronald Lee Hornaday Jr. (born June 20, 1958) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and businessman. He currently owns Team Hornaday Development, a driver development program, as well as Hornaday Race Cars, a Modified racing, D ...
won the final race in 1997.
For the 1998 season, Colorado was dropped from the schedule in favor of
Pikes Peak International Raceway
Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) is a racetrack in the Colorado Springs area within the city limits of Fountain, Colorado, that by October 12, 1997, was "the fastest 1-mile paved oval anywhere". The speedway hosted races in several series ...
in
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...
, which hosted the series until 2002.
The
ARCA Menards Series West
The ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR AutoZone West Series, NASCAR Winston West Series, NASCAR Winston Transcontinental Series and NASCAR Camping World West Series, is a regional stock car racing series ow ...
has raced at Colorado 19 times since 1995 (as of 2021).
Chris Eggleston holds the most-series wins at the track with three.
In 2019, the track was repaved.
NASCAR Midwest Series
The ARTGO Challenge Series was a late model short track racing series that ran in the Midwestern United States from 1975 until 1998. Many race car drivers used the ARTGO series as a stepping stone to get into ASA, ARCA, and NASCAR.
Art Frigo cr ...
ran nine races at the speedway from 1999 through 2006, and
NASCAR Southwest Series The NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series (originally NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour) was a late model stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR that was held in the Southwestern United States. The original NASCAR Southwest Tour beg ...
hosted 20 events at the track between 1992 and 2006.
References
External links
Colorado National Speedway race resultsat Racing-Reference
{{World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race venues
NASCAR tracks
Buildings and structures in Weld County, Colorado
Tourist attractions in Weld County, Colorado
Sports venues in Colorado
NASCAR races at Colorado National Speedway
Motorsport venues in Colorado