ERIE, Colorado -- Saturday night’s Horizon Banks Late Model contest at Colorado National Speedway saw another super-close finish, and another victory for Jerry Robertson. During the division’s last outing at the 3/8 mile paved oval, Robertson won by about six inches. This time around, his margin was two feet. 42-year-old Robertson denied Scotty Backman the honors following the pair’s torrid side-by-side battle that consumed nearly half of the 40 lap NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series race. The Arvada, CO driver grabbed his fifth straight feature event during the headliner for the “High Octane Night in the Rockies”, tying his own record for consecutive wins which he set in 2001.
With Backman on the pole and grabbing the lead at the onset, Robertson worked his way up from ninth on the starting grid. Backman’s nearest challengers – Ron Van Briggle and Roger Avants – tangled on the 22nd circuit, moving Ken Walter into second, with Bruce Yackey and Robertson following. On the next go-round, Robertson made short work of overhauling both Walter and Yackey, and set his sights on the leader. By lap 25, Robertson found room in the lower groove to get alongside Backman, but could not complete the pass. Throughout the remainder of the race, Robertson was only able to momentarily get a few inches ahead, but was also forced to drop back on several occasions. His charge aboard the Dunlap’s Trailers Chevrolet Monte Carlo on the final circuit was just enough to secure the victory.
While Backman – who took his most recent win in the division in August of 2002 – settled with second, he turned in a skillful display that will long be remembered. Walter was third across the line, but his mount failed the post-race tech inspection and he was disqualified. The final order placed Yackey in third, with Rick Smith fourth, and leading Rookie of the Year candidate Ronnie Hults fifth.
With five wins in six races, Robertson continues to stretch his point lead. Avants, who recovered from his mishap in the event to place eighth, now holds a 38 point deficit in the standings (344 to 306). Yackey moved up to third, 54 marks behind Robertson. Prior to the event, Bear Lynch was second in the season rundown, but he was notably absent from the night’s race and dropped to fifth. In the Sunoco Grand American Modifieds, dirt track star Ricky Alvarado notched his first career victory here. Alvarado out-muscled Denver Dodd for the lead near the one-third mark of the 30 lapper, but Joel Hansen, Ed Vecchiarelli, and Forest Smith all narrowed the gap during the late stages. The close, four-way fight to the finish saw Alvarado ahead by a car length, with Hansen just inches ahead of point leader Vecchiarelli to claim the runner-up honors. Smith took fourth, while Dodd fell back to fifth.
The Renegade Promotions Super Stock division once again saw cars fail the tech inspection process, causing a revision in the finish. Since questions remain regarding the legality of apparent winner Bubba Willox’s machine, the final order stands as unofficial at press time. Willox led from flag to flag, owning nearly a full straightaway advantage at the stripe. Jeremiah Pepping, Eric Warrington, John Chavez, and Russ Middaugh followed.
A visit from the High Plains Modifieds marked the first time that this type of car has been on the track in many years, with Bruce Rhoads coming out on top. Wayne Swanson proved to own a faster pace near the end as he quickly closed in on Rhoads. Time ran out on Swanson however, and he had to settle with the runner-up award, two lengths back. Carl Clarino took third, with Kevin King fourth, and Brian Blythe fifth. Colorado National Speedway’s next NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series event will be the “Horizon Banks Dash for Cash” on Saturday night, June 19th. Competition will include the Horizon Banks Late Models, the Snap-On Tools ProTrucks, the Dunlap’s Trailers Sportsman, and the wild and crazy Trains.
