Motorsports fans, rejoice. This weekend is custom-made for you and those who still rue the introduction of the catalytic converter. Days like these speed by in clouds of exhaust and smoke.
From Denver to Morrison, the sweet smell of burning gasoline will draw racing fans of all stripes. There are plenty of story lines to interest even the most pedestrian fans.
At Bandimere Speedway in Morrison today through Sunday, the Mile-High Nationals kick off the second half of the National Hot Rod Association season after a three-week break.
Notice soon-to-be reality TV star John Force, the NHRA’s living legend and 13-time Funny Car champion. Force will try to erase the memory of his first-round exit last year at Bandimere, just in time for the debut of his “Driving Force,” an A&E show premiering Monday with Force, his drag-racing daughters and all the accompanying drama.
And don’t miss Melanie Troxel, the Denver native and current points leader in the Top Fuel division.
Then, for an extra kick of carbon dioxide, check out the Dew Action Sports Tour’s Right Guard Open at Pepsi Center. Known more commonly as an action sports gathering, the tour presents a Freestyle Motocross event with enough motorized dirt bikes to brown-cloud downtown.
Check out the duel between Kenny Bartram, the reigning FMX champ, and Nate Adams, the current standings leader.
WEAK IN REVIEW
As if having to endure Joe Buck’s constipated delivery and all those obnoxious graphics weren’t enough, the Fox broadcast of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday somehow couldn’t get back from a commercial break in time to show Matt Holliday’s pinch-hit at-bat in the third inning. If the network had analyzed David Ortiz any more, we’d have known just how often the Red Sox slugger cuts his fingernails.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE …
Here’s to plenty of spirited chucking at the World Horseshoe Pitching Championships continuing this weekend in Gillette, Wyo. Notice all the newsworthy ins-and-outs in Gillette for this, the 82nd year of competition: 89-year-old Bob Champion of Boulder is the oldest pitcher; Alan Francis of Ohio is going for a record 12th world title; Sue Snyder, who has dominated the women’s division, seeks her seventh title; and Walter Ray Williams, currently fourth in points and earnings on the Professional Bowlers Association tour and a former horseshoe titlist as a right-hander, seeks a second championship, this time throwing left-handed.
THE COUCH
ON: With something like 10,000 channels now offered on a standard cable television system, you’d think there would be more to watch this weekend. Not exactly the case, but the Rockies finish the final three games of a four-game stand in Cincinnati beginning today at 5 p.m. on FSN, with Jason Jennings (6-6, 3.67 ERA) on the mound for Colorado. On Sunday, the Rockies’ winningest pitcher, Josh Fogg (7-5, 4.44), takes the hill on KTVD-20 at 11 a.m.
OFF: Two incline bike races in Boulder this weekend should be reason enough to decline the recliner. On Saturday, the Sunshine Canyon Hill Climb races eight miles up Sunshine Canyon Drive and is run by the Tyler Hamilton Foundation. On Sunday, the Mike Horgan Hill Climb rides 18 miles up Sugarloaf Road. Check tylerhamiltonfoundation.org and boulderracing.com, respectively, for prices and times.
AROUND TOWN
Jack Nicklaus is a smart guy. To raise money for cardiovascular research, the famed golfer started the Jack Nicklaus Heart and Stroke Challenge, an ongoing best-ball event that collects funds by charging competitors to cheat. Now running at select courses around Colorado, golfers in teams of two can enter the tournament for free to play as many rounds as they’d like. The rub is, mulligans cost $10. Check www.cvriskreduction.com for more information, including participating courses.
