Colorado National Speedway Races & Fireworks

Colorado National Speedway was carved from a Front Range field in 1965 by founders Gene and Gerda Heffley, and the 3/8-mile paved oval in Dacono, Colorado has operated on Saturday nights with the Rocky Mountain front visible to the west ever since. Sixty-one seasons on, it remains the only NASCAR-affiliated short track in Colorado and one of the most geographically improbable racing venues in the Rocky Mountain West: flat-track racing at 5,000 feet with 14,000-foot summits on the horizon. The 2026 season opens May 23 and runs through Labor Day weekend, with events nearly every Saturday night. General admission is genuinely affordable; parking is free; walk-up tickets are available at the box office on the facility’s west side almost every race night.

The season-opening event is the ARCA Menards Series West, a nationally credentialed developmental circuit whose graduates populate NASCAR’s top tiers. The 150-lap feature on May 23 is among the longest short-track races in the region and draws competitors from across the Rockies, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southwest. The July 4th and 5th Sprint Car Spectacular is the season’s emotional center: winged sprint cars at speeds and angles that require close attention to properly comprehend, running alongside local divisions across 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, rotating through a weekly program that can feature up to 12 divisions on a single card.

The Track Experience Worth Understanding Before You Arrive

The speedway’s Family Section, positioned at the finish line with a no-smoking, no-alcohol designation, provides families with younger children a clear sightline to the racing without navigating the general grandstand atmosphere. After the final race of every evening, the gates to the hot pits open to all spectators: children can walk the track surface, meet drivers, collect autographs, and photograph the cars at close range. This kind of post-race access is structurally unusual in American motorsports, particularly at a facility of this size and stature, and it is the single feature that visitors who have attended mention first when describing the experience to others. Bring earplugs regardless of your seat location. Sprint cars and late models operate at volumes that exceed comfortable outdoor exposure without protection, particularly in the lower grandstand sections nearest the track.

Quick Tips
Colorado’s high-altitude UV is significant even on partly cloudy race days. Sun protection before the evening session begins matters more than it appears necessary from the grandstand. Afternoon thunderstorms are common through July and August along the Front Range; the speedway posts weather alerts on its website, social channels, and via subscriber text messages before any cancellation. Online-purchased tickets serve as rain checks for any future event at the equivalent price point; bring your printed ticket to the gate.

Where to Eat Near the Track

The speedway’s own concessions perform consistently above the category average, with reviewers noting the chicken tenders and smothered burritos specifically. For a full meal before or after racing, Rumbo 52 Cocina and Cantina on Highway 52 draws consistent attention for its scratch-made margaritas and slow-braised meats. Jerry D’s 2.0, also on Highway 52 in Dacono, is a long-standing community pub whose burgers and cold beer have served as the post-race gathering point for the Carbon Valley crowd for over a decade.

The Lakes Near the Track

Boulder Reservoir, 20 minutes southwest of Dacono, operates a supervised swimming beach, stand-up paddleboard rentals, sailing, and kayaking through Boulder Reservoir Water Sports, making it the most complete recreational lake option within easy reach of the speedway for families building a racing weekend around a Saturday night card. Union Reservoir in Longmont provides calmer conditions for families with smaller children, with a roped swim area and consistent flat-water kayaking. Look on Lake.com for vacation rentals in the Boulder County and Erie-Longmont corridor, where properties within 20 to 30 minutes of the track give you access to both the speedway and the area’s lake recreation.