Colorado National Speedway Races & Fireworks

Colorado National Speedway has been delivering high-speed Saturday nights since 1965, when founders Gene and Gerda Heffley carved a paved oval out of a field along the Front Range with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. Sixty years on, the 3/8-mile asphalt track in Dacono, Colorado remains Colorado’s only NASCAR-affiliated short track and one of the most accessible motorsports venues in the Rocky Mountain West. The 2026 season runs from late May through early September, with events nearly every Saturday night and several signature weekend spectaculars woven in. General admission is affordable, parking is free, and walk-up tickets are almost always available at the box office on the west side of the facility.

The Race Card: What’s on the Schedule

The season opens May 23 with the ARCA Menards Series West, a nationally recognized developmental circuit that sends drivers toward NASCAR’s top tiers. The 150-lap feature is one of the longest short-track races in the region and draws competitors from across the Rockies and beyond. The July 4th and 5th Sprint Car Spectacular is the emotional centerpiece of the summer. Winged sprint cars run at speeds and angles that seem to defy physics, competing alongside local divisions in a two-night program that closes each evening with a full fireworks display. Late summer brings the Legend Summer Nationals, the North American Big Rig Racing Series, and the CARS Tour West, all rotating through a weekly program that features up to 12 divisions on a single race card.

Who This Is For

Families get a particularly good deal here. The speedway designates a no-smoking, no-alcohol Family Section right at the finish line, which puts younger kids in a clear sightline without navigating the general grandstands. After the final race each night, the gates to the hot pits open to all spectators — your kids can walk the track surface, meet drivers, collect autographs, and take selfies with the cars. It is the kind of access that stadium motorsports rarely allows. Couples looking for a date night with genuine energy will find it in the infield atmosphere and the concession stand lineup, which runs from smothered burritos and gourmet burgers on housemade buns to boneless buffalo wings and funnel cakes.

Before You Arrive: Practical Notes

Bring earplugs — reviewers note this consistently, and for good reason. Sprint cars and late models run loud. Sun protection matters in the afternoon hours before the racing starts; Colorado’s high-altitude UV is unforgiving even on partly cloudy days. The season runs late spring through Labor Day weekend, with typical summer temperatures in Dacono hovering in the high 70s to low 90s at race time. Afternoon thunderstorms are common through July and August. If weather scrubs your race, online tickets serve as a rain check for any future event of the same price point — just bring your printed ticket to the gate. The speedway posts alerts on its website, social channels, and via text to subscribers before any cancellation.

Eat Before or After the Race

The speedway’s own concessions are surprisingly solid — reviewers single out the chicken tenders and smothered burritos specifically. If you want a sit-down meal, the drive up Highway 52 toward Frederick opens up options. Rumbo 52 Cocina & Cantina on Colorado 52 draws consistent praise for its scratch-made margaritas and slow-braised meats in house-made sauces. Jerry D’s 2.0, also on Highway 52 in Dacono, is a local pub that has been a community gathering spot for over a decade; the burgers and cold beer after a race hit the right notes. For something with a bit more range, Edge Gourmet Street Kitchen in the area brings gastro-pub sensibility to the Carbon Valley corridor.

Points of Interest Worth the Detour

The speedway sits at exit 232 off I-25, roughly 25 minutes north of Denver and within easy reach of several day-trip options. Waneka Lake Park in Lafayette, about 15 minutes south, has a paved loop trail around the lake, a fishing pier, and a playground area that families with younger children find genuinely useful for burning off energy before an evening race. Anderson Farms in Erie, a short drive southeast, is one of Colorado’s most celebrated farm experiences — during summer it runs corn maze events, sunflower fields, and pick-your-own activities that pair naturally with a race weekend. For a quieter water-side morning before the track heats up, Longmont Reservoir is a scenic flat-water spot about 20 minutes north with paddleboard and kayak rentals through local outfitters.

Connecting to the Lake

Colorado National Speedway is an inland racing venue, but the broader region is rich in reservoir recreation. Boulder Reservoir, 20 minutes southwest of Dacono, offers swimming beaches, stand-up paddleboarding, sailing, and a full rental fleet through Boulder Reservoir Water Sports. Union Reservoir in Longmont is a calmer option for families with small children, with a roped swim area and consistent flat-water conditions for kayaking. If you want to make your racing weekend a proper lake trip, properties along Boulder Reservoir and around Longmont’s lake corridor appear regularly on Lake.com — search the Boulder County area to find rentals close enough to do both.

Book Your Stay

Look for vacation rentals in Erie, Longmont, or the Boulder corridor on Lake.com. These communities sit within 20 to 30 minutes of the track and give you easy access to both the speedway and the area’s lakeside recreation. Booking early matters for summer race weekends, particularly the July 4th Sprint Car Spectacular, when the broader Denver-to-Fort-Collins corridor fills quickly.