2. Colorado resident Randy Cleveland’s
two greatest loves are firefighting and
drag racing.
At one point as a young firefighter,
Randy Cleveland enjoyed his dream job
of serving as a firefighter and emergency
medical technician at Bandimere
Speedway.
3. Known in the National Hot Rod Association
(NHRA) as Thunder Mountain, Bandimere
Speedway is a quarter-mile drag strip with
an arena that seats 28,500 people.
Located near Morrison, Colorado, about 23
miles southwest of Denver, it is the site of the
annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals event
and hosts a busy racing schedule of more
than 125 events from April through October.
4. At 5,800 feet above sea level, Bandimere
has thinner air, which results in slower races.
The racing surface is 100 percent
concrete, one of only three such tracks in
the entire NHRA.
The track boasts a unique, proprietary
cooling system. An intricate network of
more than 15,000 feet of tubes carrying
chilled water beneath the surface of the
launch pad cools the 200 feet of track.
This reduces the surface temperature of the
starting area up to 25 degrees.