Taylor Swift may have been in Denver this weekend, but three days of sell-out crowds for the 43rd and final Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in nearby Morrison let the world know how much fans appreciated the 65 years and four generations of Bandimere family members have invested in NHRA drag racing.
Racing is both a mechanical and emotional discipline. The work that goes into prepping to race can be monumental and the joy or sadness at the close of competition is without peer. And so it was this weekend in Colorado, as fans, racers and industry members stopped daily to thank the Bandimere family for their dedication to the sport. The competition almost seemed secondary.
This weekend’s Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway marked the start of the vaunted Western Swing of three races in three weekends at three very distinct race tracks. At almost 6,000 feet above sea level, Bandimere Speedway is probably the toughest race to win, and winning the final race on this mountain was the goal of every single competitor on-site.
The victories in this 10th race of 21 total went to Clay Millican in Top Fuel, Matt Hagan for Funny Car after claiming the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory on Saturday evening, Troy Coughlin Jr., who also claimed the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Pro Stock, as well as Gaige Herrera, who earned his fourth Pro Stock Motorcycle win of the year.
Although threatened, the weather stayed clear – and hot – for the duration of the race meeting, but that didn’t stop fans from showing up early in the morning each of the three days and leaving late at night. They definitely got their money’s worth, as track records fell from start to finish. As is her claim to fame, Brittany Force re-set Bandimere’s track record on Saturday night with her ultimate pass of 3.724 seconds at 337.33 mph. But she didn’t make it out of the first round on Sunday with her John Force Racing dragster, falling to Rob Passey. Neither did the defending Top Fuel winner of this race, Tony Stewart Racing’s Leah Pruett, who fell to Josh Hart in the first round.
Millican, on the other hand, defeated eight-time Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher, Mike Salinas and Shawn Langdon, to meet up with Doug Kalitta in the finals. Kalitta, sitting on 49 victories – still – is looking for #50, but couldn’t beat Millican, who earned his second victory of the year after winning in Joliet this May. “When you race Doug Kalitta, you can’t leave anything on the table,” Millican stated. “We had not won a single round until Chicago, so when we won first round here, I’m like, we’re winning this race.” And that’s just what he did.
For Hagan, driving Tony Stewart Racing’s Dodge Direct Connections Charger SRT Hellcat, this was pretty much a must-win situation, as this was final race at this track for long-time Bandimere sponsor Dodge/Mopar, which has one of the lengthiest consecutive season sponsorships in the sport. The Virginia cattle farmer earned his 47th career victory, fourth of the 2023 season and second on Thunder Mountain, beating Alexis DeJoria’s Toyota GR Supra in the finals, as both she and Kalitta attempted to give Toyota its 200th NHRA victory. Hagan’s lap of 4.135/304.25 beat DeJoria’s close 4.217/251.34 lap.
“It’s one of those weekends that’s just magical,” Hagan exulted as he stretched his points lead to 45 over reigning titleholder Ron Capps, who advanced to the semifinals, keeping his win list at 74 victories after losing in the semis to Hagan. Earning his 50th No. 1 qualifier and having a bye in the second round after running a single to a non-starting Chris King, “I knew this is the last time I’d race at Bandimere Speedway and it was a Dodge-sponsored race, so getting the quick qualifying time three years in a row, winning in 2021 and now today is very special. Wow,” he said, “I took the final win light at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals. That’s something they can never take from me.”
Troy Coughlin Jr.’s Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock team has many intra-squad battles. That happens when you have as many as eight cars trying to gain a win in a 16-car field. With outstanding reaction times throughout the race meeting, Coughlin Jr. dominated the class all three days. On Saturday, he beat KB Titan Racing’s Dallas Glenn to reach the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge finals and then faced off against teammate Aaron Stanfield. He won that race-within-a-race when Stanfield fouled and Coughlin hit a .000-second reaction time.
On Sunday he once again used superb reaction times to again defeat Stanfield, five-time KB Titan Pro Stock champ Greg Anderson and reigning five-time champ and teammate Erica Enders in order to once again battle Dallas Glenn, the Pro Stock points leader. With a .015 reaction time against Glenn, Coughlin Jr. earned his second victory of the season and fourth overall. “What an exciting day to come out here and get a win. You just take it one run at a time,” he said. “I just had to stay focused,” all weekend long. “This is one of my favorite facilities and it’s an absolute honor just to be here. The excitement level, like that final, that’s what packs the stands and makes you come back. You hope for situations like that and you practice all the time. It’s an obsession, you love it and you can’t stop.”
After a blistering start to the Pro Stock Motorcycle season, Vance & Hines’ Gaige Herrera returned to form after giving up two victories in the last two races. Earning his fourth win of the year on the Mission Foods Suzuki Hayabusa3, Herrera beat Angie Smith’s Buell in the final round with a run of 7.103 at 187.73 when the Denso-sponsored rider fouled in the final, a very easy thing to do at elevation on one of these motorcycles. Herrera didn’t hold the No. 1 qualifier; that went to Hector Arana Jr.’s Buell, but the Norwalk victor was gone after losing to Angie Smith in the semifinal round.
This was Herrera’s first – and last – time racing on Thunder Mountain and he had a rough start to the weekend (at least for him and Vance & Hines), initially qualifying fifth in the 13-bike field. By Saturday night he’d advanced to third place and dispensed with Chris Bostick’s Suzuki in the first round, six-time class champ Matt Smith’s Suzuki in the quarterfinals, rookie Chase Van Sant – having the best run of his first season – in the semifinals before meeting Angie Smith. “I’m glad we bounced back here, especially in front of all these fans at Bandimere Speedway,” Herrera said after advancing his lead over Arana to 219 points. “To be able to bounce back here, of all places, it’s an amazing feeling.” Crew chief Andrew Hines won his first race at this track in 2002!
In addition to the “side show” of the Mission Challenge, there was another event that captivated everyone at the track. On Friday afternoon, “King” Kenny Bernstein returned to the track to warm up Antron Brown’s dragster. The 69-race winner hadn’t sat in a car since he retired, but it felt like home to him as Brown, a 72-race winner (and last man to sweep the Western Swing) allowed the legend to start his car after a few minutes to get used to the different controls.
Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle now venture to Pacific Raceways in Seattle, near sea level, to race in the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals this coming weekend, as the Camping World Drag Racing Series has its second race in a row July 21-23. Pro Stock cars are off until the Kansas contest August 11-13.
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