Denton Targets Young Lions National Title In Virginia

Cole Denton hopes to secure the INEX Young Lions Legend Car National Championship this weekend at Virginia's Dominion Raceway. (Ryan Murphy photo)

SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. – Legend car hotshoe Cole Denton is hoping to cap a season that has already been beyond his wildest dreams with an INEX Young Lions division national championship.

Denton will travel to Dominion Raceway for the 33rd annual Legend Car Asphalt Nationals, which kick off with qualifying and heat races on Friday, Oct. 25 before the championship features take center stage on Saturday, Oct. 26.

The Asphalt Nationals are the final required race of the U.S. Legend Cars season, serving as the tiebreaker in all classes to determine the season-long champions from across the country.

Denton is one of four drivers – joined by New Englander Rodney Dowless Jr., West Coaster Ashton Williams, and second-generation star Keelan Harvick – who have maxed out their current point totals with 1,900 points and are in the proverbial driver’s seat for title contention.

For all intents and purposes, whichever of the four finishes highest in Saturday’s 35-lap championship feature will leave the four-tenth-mile oval with the hardware – similar in scope to the upcoming scenario for each of NASCAR’s three national series in November at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway.

Denton admits he couldn’t have even envisioned being in position to contend for the national title when his season began back in February, but that it’s an opportunity he hopes to take full advantage of.

“When we started the season, our goals were just to go for another Cordele (Motor Speedway) title and to try and win a few Thursday Thunder features (at Atlanta Motor Speedway). We never pictured all this,” Denton said in advance of the Asphalt Nationals. “We got on a six- or seven-race win streak early on, and after a bit it was like, ‘Can we really go do this if the cards fall right?’ and they somehow have for us.

“Max points, a Thursday Thunder championship, another championship at Cordele, and now to have the shot to finish off a perfect season with the national title, too … I’m blessed to just be in this position,” he added. “Of course, we want to go out and win it all, but I’m just thankful to have the opportunity to go for it with the other great drivers we’ll be racing against throughout the weekend.”

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Denton has never seen Dominion Raceway, let alone competed there, but as the 13-year-old from Pascagoula, Miss., noted, “There’s always a first time for everything, right?”

“We’re not going to let the prospect of (racing) somewhere new stop us from going out and competing at the high level we know we’re capable of,” Denton explained. “All we can do is give it our best, and the championship will either happen or it won’t.

“I’m excited for the challenge and looking forward to the weekend.

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 of his racing efforts.

Hot laps begin Friday at 11 a.m., followed by qualifying and heat races, with Saturday’s championship mains scheduled for 1:45 p.m. ET. Every lap will be streamed live on US Legend Cars TV.

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/.