Rocky Mountain National Speedway – Commerce City, CO.

[Jerry Lee]

Back about the 1982-1983 time frame, Denver’s longtime drag strip out East at 96th & Buckley Road (which carried many names over the years), had sat dormant for awhile and was resurrected into two different racing facilities. The first was Second Creek Raceway, a 1.7 mile paved road course.The second was a half mile dirt oval built just North of the road course called Raceland.

The paper clip shaped dirt oval ran mostly Sprint Cars and Midgets for a couple seasons, but due to financial problems, Raceland closed down and sat abandoned and weed infested for a few years.

Sometime during the late ‘80’s the track was revitalized as Rocky Mountain Speedway (later Rocky Mountain National Speedway) and ran a great program until the end of the 2007 season when sadly, the facility was leveled for a housing project. The Second Creek Raceway complex came down as well.

Besides it’s weekly local racing program, R.M.N.S. also hosted “The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series” each year.

Please add any history of this fun track that I’ve missed. Here’s a look back at Rocky Mountain National, which once coined the catchphrase “Denver’s ONLY Dirt Track”.


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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) One of the signs that greeted dirt racing enthusiasts for
many years.



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) You’re first in line for grandstand tickets!



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) I shot these pictures on Rocky Mtn.’s last night of operation.
By race time this parking lot was completely packed and the stands were filled to capacity
for one more great night of racing.



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Looking North at turns 3 & 4. Multi-colored school buses
can be seen lined up in the background. School bus Figure 8 racing was just one of the many
features at the track.



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Coming down the front stretch, Rocky Mtn.’s dirt “X” can
be seen. Towards the end of it’s time, the track featured Figure 8 racing on the dirt.



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Looking South at the pit entrance and turns 1 & 2. It was
really something to watch a big pack of R.M.M.R.A. Midgets run sideways around this track!



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(Wally’s Racing Photos) Roaring down the back chute at Rocky Mtn. in 1993. For many years
there was no wall or guardrail to contain the cars along that stretch of the track. Cars
would get bumped off and end up landing way off in a field. I know I did!



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Tom Braden’s Econo car only lasted 3 laps before being
destroyed at the start of the 1993 season at R.M.N.S. Famous local painter Lou Paiz had
done the lettering job.




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(J.L. McGuire collection) My clean ’75 Cadillac Eldorado wasn’t clean for long after 1993
action at R.M.N.S.




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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) This sharp looking Ford in the pits at R.M.N.S. still has the
Colorado license plate attached.




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(Photo by Bruce Thompson) Sprint Cars were always a lot of fun to watch run the Rocky Mtn. oval.




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(Photo by Sharon Poteet) The main grandstands were torn down not long after this shot was taken.




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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) And who could forget those bathroom stalls painted as the
color of the flags!




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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Another sign that greeted race fans as they exited Buckley
Road into the Rocky Mtn. National Speedway parking lot.




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Above is an aerial view of the old Rocky Mtn. National Speedway as it
was before bulldozing.

[webby]

Mike Mathis (track manager for RMNS) hired me to create the 1998 track poster for RMNS. We shot the images at the Comcast facility in Denver and I believe that this was the very first appearance of "Audra" (who is now a regular in the Rocky's marketing campaign).

The Rocky's people were disappointed with the poster because they didn't believe it was "sexy" enough. Yet the poster was very well received by fans and therefore everyone was happy in the end.

[Olen McGuire]

The Rocky's people were disappointed with the poster because they didn't believe it was "sexy" enough. Yet the poster was very well received by fans and therefore everyone was happy in the end.


Wow, looks "sexy" enough for me Webby, of course you have to take in consideration of my age.

[Mitch G.]

I spent some of my rookie year, 1982 in the midgets racing at Raceland, Joe Krpan built that track, it was low dollar for the most part, and strange, 750 foot long straights, tight corners. Always a big bump coming out of turn 4, where all the cars crossed the track to get into the pits. Mike LaGuardia turned in into Rocky Mountain Speedway in 1988, he cut about 200 feet of the straights, but he used dirt from the infield to re shape the track, problem was, it was full of rocks, that was the base for the old drag strip, where we pitted in 82' and 83'.
It was much better at that size, but Late Model racer Jim Clifton bulldozed it, and created a whole new track which became "Rocky Mountain National Speedway. I raced on all 3 configurations, the last track was o.k, but I actually liked the track Mike LaGuardia cut, better. I remember on the very first opening night at Raceland, in 1982, it was a sprint car race, and the power went out for several minutes during the program. Also, the first night we opened their also in 1982, with the sprinters, Bill Geottche (spelling?), went over the turn one wall in hot laps, in his sprint car.

[Mitch G.]

Oh yeah, webby spent a day building the grandstands for Krpan before it's grand opening, till he found out he was working for free!!

[Jerry Lee]

Thanks for filling in the blanks on the history of this track, Mitch. Very interesting.

I only ran there one season, but got the opportunity to announce some Sprint Car/Motorcycle shows there during the 2000 season. Mike Mathis always treated me real well. One time they had a big Motocross show in the infield with big dirt jumps and such (long before the Figure 8's ran there). It took them awhile to make this really cool track in the infield, but anyway, I got roped into being the announcer for that show as well. They had me use the handheld wireless mic so that I could walk all over the track and talk. The only problem was that nobody gave me a list of any of the riders that were in the competition so I had to keep saying things like: "And there goes THAT GUY!", "Look at THAT GUY". "Oh, and THE GUY IN THE RED SUIT is down!".
Funny stuff, looking back.

[Mitch G.]

Another strange memory, one of my dads buddys at Martin Marrietta a fellow illustrator, this was in 1971, bought a brand new Plymouth Duster, with a 340 4bbl, and an automatic. Neat car, black on black, anyway one Sunday afternoon, he took me and dad with him to "Thunder Road Dragway" (the future site of "Raceland"), he raced it in one of the street divisions. Saw a couple top fuel rails, and funny cars that day, seems to me one was Roland Leong and the "Hawaiian". Also that day I drank a bottle of Pepsi, and after I finished it I dropped it off the top row of grandstands, watched it fall all the way to the ground, not only did it not break, it landed upright in the dirt!

[Jerry Lee]

A couple other wild events they used to have out at RMNS was something called (I think) 'Boat Races' where cars would tear around the track pulling a boat on a trailer. Those poor boats would go flying and get pretty torn up going through the turns.

The other crazy thing we witnessed was 'Motorcycle Demolition Derby' where they would get 6 to 8 guys ramming each other on cycles. I'm surprised that none of these guys got broken legs! Well, maybe someone did, but sometimes these guys would get mad, throw down the bikes and just start fighting each other. Sometimes one of the bikes would catch fire as well. Seems like they had more bikes than registered riders most of the time and they were always asking for volunteers to come out of the audience. There was always a few guys who (after 4 or 5 beers) would oblige.

Fun stuff to watch!

[JRKracer]

Jimmy, Joseph and I raced there in the summer of '99. The race was a split show of Sprint cars and midgets. The Mile Hi Midget Classic I beleive it was called and also was the only time the RMMRA honored our dad Earl Kouba. Dave Strickland Jr won the midget final on Sat. and Jimmy ran second on sat as well in his 2k sprinter. As for me I could only muster a pair of 7ths. A nice track indeed, but a bit tricky getten off 4. It was also the first time we fired "Baby" after the restoration. I have only that one memory but a really special one.
Joe

[G74]

Last week I was in the Denver area, so I took a drive out to see the old RMNS site. It had snowed the day before, but I went ahead & took a few pictures. Here's what the racetrack looks like now.

[Olen McGuire]

Hey thanks for those pics G74, it's some great shots of the old track. Below is a pic that was posted in Ghost Tracks Gone By. It's a street level shot by Google.

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[G74]

I drove a sprint car at RMNS from 2002 - 2004. We never took many pictures out there, but I have alot of video tapes. If I can figure out how to capture some photos from the videos, I'll post them on here. Burt Watson used to video alot of the races out there, does anyone know if his videos still exist?

[Jerry Lee]

Burt Watson used to video alot of the races out there, does anyone know if his videos still exist?

Good ol' Burt Watson! I used to do a weekly cable access TV show in the '80's and '90's with highlights from the local tracks, and Burt Watson used to supply me the video from Second Creek. I've got some RMNS videos as well, all shot by my Dad (Olen) in 1993.

Burt and his wife and their cameras seemed to be a permanent fixture at the top of the RMNS stands! My old TV episodes still exist, but it would be great to see some of that RMNS stuff again.

Thanks for posting those pics G74. Interestingly, it looks like the only thing standing anymore is that one small section of the wall. Looking eerily like a tombstone........

[G74]

Yeh, I think I owned a section of that wall coming off turn four, I paid for it with broken parts!!!

[Jerry Lee]

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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Looking to the South. Second Creek Raceway can be seen
off in the background.




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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Looking to the North.




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(Photo by Sharon Poteet) This sign always stood out under the stands!




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(Photo by Sharon Poteet) Remember those ‘crazy mouse’ restroom signs?




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(Photo by Bruce Thompson) School buses running on both the oval and the 8 were always
crowd favorites.

[Jerry Lee]

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(Photo by Sharon Poteet) The familiar sign on the back of the grandstands.




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(J.L. McGuire collection) Econo Stock action at R.M.N.S.




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(Photos by Bruce Thompson) More crazy School Bus action during the 2005 season.
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[Jerry Lee]

Ran across a few more photos I shot of Econo Stock & Enduro action at RMNS in the mid '90's.......

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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Tom Braden loses an engine.



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Unfortunately, this driver left the track in a stretcher.



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Something's cooking and it's not the speedway hot dogs!



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) This driver follows the stars.



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Good thing he had that auto parts sponsor.



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(Photo by Jerry Lee McGuire) Mr. Badwrench has a bad day.

[sprint3]

In the snow pictures...sure didn't see any houses....another track gone with the wind...so sad....

[Racefan 777]

In the 80's I was with IMCA I talked to the promoter there about using the IMCA rules for the sprinters. I told him it would bring in more sprints. He said NO he really didn't want the ones he had. Later I came with an IMCA Mod from Kansas to run one night to show off the class. I had a sore throat and lost my voice. Was not alot of fun trying to take care of business over the sound of the cars in the pits. Will never forget trying to order food at the stand in the pit area. Every time I would say something a car would fire up. Never did get what I wanted!