Easily one of Colorado’s largest annual collections of sunburns, the Mopar Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison this weekend is significant for more than just the display of lobster-toned skin.
There’s also the sweet smell of fuel and burning rubber, the ear-splitting noise of nitromethane-powered engines running at 7,000 horsepower, and the blur produced when vehicles go from 0 to 100 mph in less than eight-tenths of a second and travel a quarter-mile in less than five seconds.
It all adds up to one of the National Hot Rod Association’s best events, a unique stop on its top series tour. Not only do drivers and crews have to deal with the normal headaches, such as getting down the track without ending up a fireball, they also have to deal with Bandimere’s altitude. Engines, so finely tuned it takes fuel that costs $16 a gallon to run them, get a little picky when there’s less air moving through the parts.
But ours is not to reason why. Just sit back and watch them fly.
Mile-High Nationals kicks off the series’ second half. With drivers looking to gain steam down the backstretch, this weekend will be prime time to gain momentum.
In the top fuel division, Rod Fuller remains atop the standings, pacing a field with Brandon Bernstein and Larry Dixon right behind. Former Littleton resident Melanie Troxel and Tony Schumacher will be looking to break out.
In funny car, it’s a family affair. Ashley Force, in ninth place, has gotten the best of father/legend John Force (13th) this season, with the patriarch currently out of the top 10. And Tony Pedregon, fourth, will try to stay ahead of brother Cruz Pedregon, seventh. Ron Capps leads in the standings.
Racing starts today and runs through Sunday.
THE COUCH
ON: Even non-NASCAR fans have to laugh when Jeff Gordon starts dominating the Nextel Cup Series. Gordon, the driver hard-core fans love to hate, is at the top of the standings. His four victories, five poles and 12 top-five finishes put him well ahead of the pack. And he likely will be there after the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, airing at noon on TNT. Gordon, who won at Chicagoland last year, should be the favorite.
OFF: The hills are alive with the sound of, well, runners. Among the mountain-area running events this weekend: the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in Silverton on Friday and Saturday (run100s.com/HR/); the U.S. Half Marathon Copper and family 5K on Sunday at Copper Mountain (copperhalf.com); Mountain Madness 12K racewalk in Genesee on Sunday (comastersrun.org); the Evergreen Mountain 10K Trail Race on Sunday (evergreenrecreation.com); and the Wolford Mountain Half Marathon trail run at the reservoir dam west of Kremmling on Saturday (runkremmling.com).
AROUND TOWN
Hale Irwin, Brandt Jobe, Kevin Stadler, Walter Fairbanks, Larry Broomfield – just part of the prestigous list of past winners of the 107-year-old Colorado Golf Association Match Play Championship. Since its start in 1901, the tournament has attracted and produced the state’s best golfers. That trend is likely to continue after today’s final round of the 2007 event. Tom Glissmeyer of Country Club of Colorado will face last year’s runner-up, Zen Brown of Indian Tree, in the title match at Bear Creek Golf Club. Glissmeyer, who plays at the Univeristy of Southern California, and Brown, on the roster at Colorado State, seem likely to carry on the tradition.
WEAK IN REVIEW
So the NCAA punishes the Oklahoma football team by taking away four scholarships and making the Sooners forfeit a long-forgotten season after two players, including their starting quarterback, took money from boosters. Colorado was penalized three scholarships for basically feeding walk-ons discounted cookies in the cafeteria. Something seems amiss. How did Colorado get the short end of the stick on this one?
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
The Colorado Ice of the United Indoor Football league will finish its regular season Saturday at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland when it hosts the Omaha Beef at 7 p.m. The winner will secure the No. 3 seed in the UIF playoffs and will travel to Billings, Mont., next week for the conference semifinals. The loser gets the No. 4 seed and a trip to Sioux Falls, S.D. The Ice would like nothing more than to pick up some momentum heading into the postseason.
