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Mile High Nationals roar onto scene
  
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By Tom Munds
Expect powerful machines generating earth-shaking power at the Mile High National Drag Races at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison.
Race days for the 30th annual Mile High Nationals are July 11, 12 and 13. However, teams began arriving at Bandimere Speedway early in the week to set up for the races.
The fastest cars in drag racing are the professional teams competing in the top fuel dragster, top fuel funny car, pro stock and pro stock motorcycle divisions.
Most of the teams in these divisions have one or more commercial sponsors, which makes it possible for the teams to travel the 23-race national circuit.
The sponsorships also means the pro division teams come rolling into town in huge tractor-trailer rigs, emblazoned with team logos and artwork depicting the car and sponsors. In the days leading up to the races, the local and regional racers in the stock classifications will arrive with smaller outfits to join the pro teams so, by the time competition begins July 11, the pit areas will be packed with hundred of rigs and cars.
“This is the coolest weekend of the year,” long-time drag racing enthusiast Phil Martinez said with a smile. “I take vacation every year so my family and I can take my motor home to the track and stay for the whole thing.”
The Englewood man is a self-proclaimed gear head, a term for people who love cars and racing. Martinez drove figure-8 cars at Englewood Speedway in the 1970s and, after leaving that sport, began to spend weekends drag racing at Continental Divide Raceway near Colorado Springs when he didn’t run at Bandimere.
“I just dabbled in drag racing,” he said. “For about 20 years, I owned and worked on the car I races on the (drag) strip. Finally, my wife and kids convinced me to get out from behind the wheel. I agreed but only if they join me to go watch drag racing, particularly the Mile High Nationals.”
Martinez and his family will be among about 100,000 fans expected to come to Bandimere Speedway July 10 to 12 for the Mile High Nationals, the 13th stop on the 23-race National Hot Rod Association drag racing series, which means well-known professional drivers like John Force and Tony Schumacher will be taking part in the only national drag racing event held in the area.
National drag racing events are special because a ticket includes a pit pass, which allows fans to watch mechanics prepare the cars for action and even get a chance to talk and get autographs from their favorite drivers. It equates to allowing football fans access to a pro football team’s locker room.
Again this year, the Mile High Nationals have a strong local participation, including pro-stock motorcycle rider Mike Berry and pro stock driver Dan Grunninger,
Englewood businessman Mike Berry races pro stock motorcycles. He runs an engineering and design company and builds his own engines from scratch. He said the engines are testing devices for products he designs and sells.
Berry has said he would like to run all circuit races but since he doesn’t have major sponsors, he runs in selected races in the series. Of course, he always enters the Mile High Nationals where he can race on his home track.
Grunninger is a Bear Creek High School graduate who began racing in the junior dragster program at Bandimere Speedway. He graduated to competition eliminator and, a couple years ago, took the step up to the pro stock class.
The family has started their own engine program and, with local sponsors, he plans to run at Bandimere, Seattle, and Sonoma, Calif., as the team evaluates whether to take the car off the track to improve the engine or run the remainder of the national circuit.
The Mile High Nationals action and fan interest pick up Friday and Saturday when the pro-class entries complete qualifications runs. Top fuel funny cars and dragsters qualifying sessions are at 5 and 8 p.m. Friday and at 3 and 6 p.m. Saturday. The single-elimination head-to-head racing begin at noon Sunday.
Drag racing is about harnessing horsepower and torque to produce as much speed as quickly as possible.
The top fuel dragsters are at the top of the list of achieving those goals. The powerful 8,000-horsepower engine is behind the driver in the long, low-slung dragster. The engine idles at about 2,100 revolutions per minute and gulps fuel at about 1.2 gallons per second to generate the power needed to accelerate the car from the starting line to 100 mph in about one second.
Traditionally, the competition is from a standing start to the finish line a quarter mile away. But, because of a fatal accident a couple years ago, the National Hot Rod Association elected to shorten the race distance for top fuel dragsters and funny cars to 1,000 feet.
Funny cars are powered by the same high-performance engines as the dragsters. But, instead of the sling shot-style dragster body, funny cars use bodies fashioned to resemble production-model automobiles. The speeds and times for funny cars are just a little less that of the top fuel dragsters.
Pro-stock cars are powered by 500 cubic-inch engines and the bodies must be production models. The cars run times in the seven-second range and hit speeds of about 190 mph. The cars are very evenly matched and frequently, a win or a loss is determined by one thousandth of a second.
Motorcycles are part of the pro classes, too. The drivers guide the bullet-like motorcycles as the machines cover the quarter mile in 7.5 seconds and hit speeds of 180 mph.
For information on tickets or the Mile High National schedule, call Bandimere Speedway at 303-697-6001 or visit the Web site at www.bandimere.com.
Race days for the 30th annual Mile High Nationals are July 11, 12 and 13. However, teams began arriving at Bandimere Speedway early in the week to set up for the races.
The fastest cars in drag racing are the professional teams competing in the top fuel dragster, top fuel funny car, pro stock and pro stock motorcycle divisions.
Most of the teams in these divisions have one or more commercial sponsors, which makes it possible for the teams to travel the 23-race national circuit.
The sponsorships also means the pro division teams come rolling into town in huge tractor-trailer rigs, emblazoned with team logos and artwork depicting the car and sponsors. In the days leading up to the races, the local and regional racers in the stock classifications will arrive with smaller outfits to join the pro teams so, by the time competition begins July 11, the pit areas will be packed with hundred of rigs and cars.
“This is the coolest weekend of the year,” long-time drag racing enthusiast Phil Martinez said with a smile. “I take vacation every year so my family and I can take my motor home to the track and stay for the whole thing.”
The Englewood man is a self-proclaimed gear head, a term for people who love cars and racing. Martinez drove figure-8 cars at Englewood Speedway in the 1970s and, after leaving that sport, began to spend weekends drag racing at Continental Divide Raceway near Colorado Springs when he didn’t run at Bandimere.
“I just dabbled in drag racing,” he said. “For about 20 years, I owned and worked on the car I races on the (drag) strip. Finally, my wife and kids convinced me to get out from behind the wheel. I agreed but only if they join me to go watch drag racing, particularly the Mile High Nationals.”
Martinez and his family will be among about 100,000 fans expected to come to Bandimere Speedway July 10 to 12 for the Mile High Nationals, the 13th stop on the 23-race National Hot Rod Association drag racing series, which means well-known professional drivers like John Force and Tony Schumacher will be taking part in the only national drag racing event held in the area.
National drag racing events are special because a ticket includes a pit pass, which allows fans to watch mechanics prepare the cars for action and even get a chance to talk and get autographs from their favorite drivers. It equates to allowing football fans access to a pro football team’s locker room.
Again this year, the Mile High Nationals have a strong local participation, including pro-stock motorcycle rider Mike Berry and pro stock driver Dan Grunninger,
Englewood businessman Mike Berry races pro stock motorcycles. He runs an engineering and design company and builds his own engines from scratch. He said the engines are testing devices for products he designs and sells.
Berry has said he would like to run all circuit races but since he doesn’t have major sponsors, he runs in selected races in the series. Of course, he always enters the Mile High Nationals where he can race on his home track.
Grunninger is a Bear Creek High School graduate who began racing in the junior dragster program at Bandimere Speedway. He graduated to competition eliminator and, a couple years ago, took the step up to the pro stock class.
The family has started their own engine program and, with local sponsors, he plans to run at Bandimere, Seattle, and Sonoma, Calif., as the team evaluates whether to take the car off the track to improve the engine or run the remainder of the national circuit.
The Mile High Nationals action and fan interest pick up Friday and Saturday when the pro-class entries complete qualifications runs. Top fuel funny cars and dragsters qualifying sessions are at 5 and 8 p.m. Friday and at 3 and 6 p.m. Saturday. The single-elimination head-to-head racing begin at noon Sunday.
Drag racing is about harnessing horsepower and torque to produce as much speed as quickly as possible.
The top fuel dragsters are at the top of the list of achieving those goals. The powerful 8,000-horsepower engine is behind the driver in the long, low-slung dragster. The engine idles at about 2,100 revolutions per minute and gulps fuel at about 1.2 gallons per second to generate the power needed to accelerate the car from the starting line to 100 mph in about one second.
Traditionally, the competition is from a standing start to the finish line a quarter mile away. But, because of a fatal accident a couple years ago, the National Hot Rod Association elected to shorten the race distance for top fuel dragsters and funny cars to 1,000 feet.
Funny cars are powered by the same high-performance engines as the dragsters. But, instead of the sling shot-style dragster body, funny cars use bodies fashioned to resemble production-model automobiles. The speeds and times for funny cars are just a little less that of the top fuel dragsters.
Pro-stock cars are powered by 500 cubic-inch engines and the bodies must be production models. The cars run times in the seven-second range and hit speeds of about 190 mph. The cars are very evenly matched and frequently, a win or a loss is determined by one thousandth of a second.
Motorcycles are part of the pro classes, too. The drivers guide the bullet-like motorcycles as the machines cover the quarter mile in 7.5 seconds and hit speeds of 180 mph.
For information on tickets or the Mile High National schedule, call Bandimere Speedway at 303-697-6001 or visit the Web site at www.bandimere.com.
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