Denton Gets Win No. 11 In Cordele Young Lions Thriller

Cole Denton in victory lane at Cordele Motor Speedway. (Race Face Brand Development photo)

CORDELE, Ga. – Cole Denton picked up his 11th feature win of the season in thrilling fashion Saturday at Cordele Motor Speedway, topping his third straight Legend car race at the three-eighths-mile track.

Denton qualified second in the Young Lions division behind longtime friend and rival Bryce Sanders, before the pair put on one of the most electric battles of the season throughout the 20-lap main.

Sanders started from the pole, but he and Denton raced side-by-side – throwing crossover after crossover at one another – for the majority of the race.

While Sanders led at the start-finish line for the first 19 laps, Denton executed a last-lap pass for the victory, working to Sanders’ inside off turn two and clearing him in turn three.

Denton reached the checkered flag .289 seconds ahead of Sanders, who was seeking a victory on his birthday weekend.

“I knew I could get the job done, but to win with a last lap pass like that is really special,” said Denton. “The whole battle with Bryce was super fun, and I have to give a huge shoutout to him because he really gave me everything I could handle. We crossed each other five or six times, and that was probably the most fun that I’ve ever had in a Legend car.

“We barely got the win, but it’s one of the coolest days I’ve had since I started racing and we’ll remember this one for a while.”

Denton would like to thank 77 Speed Shop, Matt Jones Motorsports, Race Face Brand Development, Race Face Digital, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, Myers Construction Co., and City Chevrolet for their continued partnership and support.

His next race weekend will be May 10 at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway’s Thunder Ring and May 11 at Cordele, which will host twin features during its Saturday program.

About Cole Denton Racing

Nicolas “Cole” Denton is a 13-year-old Gulf South racer with dreams of racing at the top level of stock car racing. From Pascagoula, Miss., Denton began racing go-karts at the age of four and advanced into Bandoleros by the time he was eight years old, where his racing brand and nickname were born.

It was in Bandoleros where Denton, a fan of the iconic racing movie Days of Thunder, adopted the No. 46 as his car number and stylized his Bandolero scheme in black and neon green – akin to the same Mello Yello colors that Tom Cruise’s character Cole Trickle campaigned in the 1990 film.

Denton quickly picked up the nickname “Cole Trickle” at his races, and the persona stuck as his racing stock climbed, leading him to continue racing under the name Cole as he advanced and found success.

His breakout season came in 2022, when Denton accrued 40 wins and 59 podium finishes in 62 starts en route to the INEX Bandolero national championship, leading him into his first year in Legend cars last season.

Away from the driver’s seat, Denton is an avid iRacer, cyclist, and push scooter racer. He also practices flying on a flight simulator and attends both local and NASCAR races as his schedule permits.

For more information on Cole Denton, visit his website at https://coledentonracing.com/.