Fast And Funny Cars At Bandimere Speedway This Weekend
MORRISON, Colo. (CBS4)- The fast and funny cars will be racing on the track at Bandimere Speedway this weekend for the 33rd annual Mile High NHRA Nationals.
"At the track, anytime you come out for an NHRA event, one of the things that's really unique about it is that you can get into the pits. You can watch them tear down those MOPAR Pro Stock cars, the MOPAR funny cars and then watch them put them back together. You can get driver's autographs and really participate in the event," said MOPAR spokeswoman Trish Hecker.
The race cars travel 200 mph and it takes just under seven seconds for them to complete the one-quarter mile long track. It's not for the faint of heart.
"We've got about 4Gs going in this car so a normal person wouldn't be able to breathe in this car halfway down the track," said three time Bandimere Pro Stock car winner Allen Johnson.
The cars travel so fast the front wheels come off the track.
"These things are pretty violent right off the starting line. They'll carry the tires the first 60 or 80 feet about a foot off the ground," said Johnson. "The willy bars on the back control that. If they weren't there you'd flip right over back on your top."
They're going so fast, drivers need a parachute to stop the car.
"It's a little hill, incline at the finish line but without the chutes it's hard not to get in the sand traps at the end," said Johnson.
Navigating the track isn't just up to the driver but a highly skilled technician who does something unusual on the track.
"He comes out and maps every inch of the track, every rise and fall. They poured some new concrete out here at Bandimere, about a half track, so he's out there mapping every square inch of track on the map for all of his crew chiefs to know when to change a clutch and suspension," said Johnson.
"We go back after a run and we can change everything, the shocks from hard to soft for one minute second on the track and then change them back to hard. Pro stock is really technologically driven and MOPAR has thrown a lot of parts to follow that."
The speedway holds 32,500 people and tickets are still available for the MOPAR Mile High Nationals July 20-22 at Bandimere Speedway.
Ticket sales for the event are available in-person at the box office or by calling 303-697-6001. Online sales have ended.
RELATED LINK: bandimere.com
