Since late in the 2022 season, Lee Beard has served as a consultant for Cruz Pedregon’s team.

Beard has had an amazing career in the sport of drag racing.

Beard tuned the late Gary Ormsby to a Top Fuel title in 1989. In 1992 he won a world championship as team manager for Larry Minor Racing when Cruz Pedregon captured the nitro Funny Car title. He also was the team manager at Don Schumacher Racing when Tony Schumacher was the Top Fuel champ in 2009.

Erica Enders, who never has won a Pro Stock trophy at Bandimere Speedway, said before the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals, “I will do everything in our power to leave Bandimere [as] Queen of the Mountain.”
 
She was quasi-coronated Saturday, this Princess of Pre-Race Performance, as her 6.919-second elapsed time on the Morrison, Colo., quarter-mile from Friday weathered two more qualifying sessions for the No. 1 qualifying position.

“I would love nothing more than to win Denver for my first time in Pro Stock as the NHRA rolls into the gates for the last time. This one would be so meaningful,” the driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Chevy Camaro said.

Bandimere Speedway witnessed a thrilling final qualifying session in its history as Brittany Force showcased an extraordinary performance, setting a track record and securing the No. 1 qualifying effort. In the 10th race of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, 

Force (Top Fuel) was joined at the top of the leaderboard by Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) as the top qualifiers. The event in Denver marked the second consecutive sellout crowd.

Force left the audience in awe during the final qualifying session with a remarkable run. Piloting her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster, she blazed through Bandimere Speedway, completing the fastest run ever recorded at the track with a pass of 3.724 seconds at 337.33 mph. This extraordinary performance not only set a new track record but also marked Force’s fourth No. 1 qualifier this season and the 46th of her career. 

Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley extended his winning streak by claiming victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge for the fifth consecutive time. The specialty race, held as part of the 43rd and final Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, saw Ashley emerge as the champion, defeating Austin Prock in front of a sold-out crowd.

Joining Ashley in victory at the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge were Matt Hagan in Funny Car, Troy Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock, and Matt Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle. 

Ashley’s victory came after a thrilling final round, where he clocked a time of 3.883 seconds at 313.95 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect/Toyota dragster. This win marks his fifth triumph in the 2023 season, earning him 15 bonus points for the Countdown to the Championship. As the current points leader, Ashley now sets his sights on achieving a third double-up weekend this year.

 
When the King of Speed warms up your Top Fuel dragster, it’s only natural you would blast to the top of the order.
 
A few short hours after drag-racing legend Kenny Bernstein sat in the Matco Tools Toyota Dragster at Bandimere Speedway, at owner-driver Antron Brown’s invitation, Brown claimed the class’ provisional No. 1 qualifying position Friday night at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals.

Matt Hagan literally has handled stubborn calves and maneuvered bulky farm machinery on his acreage in Southwestern Virginia.
 
And his Sublime Green Direct Connection Dodge Charger Hellcat Funny Car was about as willful in Friday’s opening qualifying sessions at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, near Denver.

Matt Hagan, the current Funny Car points leader, came close to breaking a track record on Friday at the 43rd annual and final Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. With a sold-out crowd in attendance, Hagan secured the provisional No. 1 qualifier position, thrilling fans and setting the stage for an exciting weekend of racing.

Hagan, piloting his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Direct Connections Charger SRT Hellcat, blazed down the track with a time of 3.895-seconds at 324.59 mph. This stellar run not only positioned Hagan for his first No. 1 qualifier spot of the season but also marked his monumental 50th career No. 1 spot. With the race being sponsored by Dodge, Hagan expressed his gratitude for the support and promised the fans an unforgettable show.

“It’s a lot going on in there, but Dickie Venables is a hell of a crew chief,” Hagan commended. “That’s what we’re supposed to do. It’s a Dodge race and we’ve got the car in the No. 1 spot. We want to keep that up and see what we can do tomorrow. A big thank you to all the fans that came out here today and this weekend. It’s such an emotional weekend, but we’re going to put on a heck of a show for these fans."

Kenny Bernstein should have been wearing a t-shirt that read, “Been there, done that. Got the t-shirt.”

That’s exactly how the experience went as he sat in the cockpit of Antron Brown’s Matco Tools-sponsored dragster as it warmed up before the Q1 session at the NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals, the tenth stop on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series tour.. 

“This is exactly how we did everything, how we started, how the clutch felt, how the steering felt, how the brake felt, how the fuel shutoff was, where it was located,” Bernstein explained. “It was no different than my car 16 years ago, so it was a piece of cake, but I enjoyed it so much, and I love [Antron]. He’s the best.”

Top Fuel racer Shawn Langdon has a relationship with Bandimere Speedway that spans all the way back to 1997 when he was a Junior Dragster racer. This weekend he will say goodbye to the picturesque facility with longtime Kalitta Motorsports marketing partner SealMaster. 

Langdon, who has three titles at the track located outside of Denver, Co.,is gunning to add a second Top Fuel title alongside his 2013 crown and two Super Comp wins and Junior Dragster championship. 

Since 1978 the NHRA Mile-High Nationals held at iconic Bandimere Speedway located just outside of Denver has created many magical moments during its illustrious tenure on the NHRA schedule. One of those moments was when a lesser-known Junior Dragster graduate turned fuel racer toppled one of the era's most seasoned and dominating Top Fuel drivers.

J.R. Todd, who licensed as a Top Fuel driver as a teenager, then served as a Funny Car crewman when he lost his ride, topped Tony Schumacher in the final round of the 2006 NHRA Mile-high Nationals. It was the first time he'd hoisted an NHRA trophy as a professional.