Polk Bros’ Recap Rumble in the Rockies 50-Lap Figure 8
AUTHOR - Bob Polk
It’s 2:30 on a Thursday afternoon, and I’m parked at a lonely Circle K, sipping an orange cream Coke Zero and working through a bag of teriyaki steak bites.
Out across the flat fields, the sun highlights the green and yellows of the tall prairie grass, and little prairie dogs pop up like living whack‑a‑moles, keeping watch.
Behind them, the mountains rise in a hazy blue wall. Four miles down the road, Colorado National Speedway waits, silent for now, like a beast in its cage.
There’s always anticipation among Figure 8 drivers for this annual 50-lap feature at the Colorado National Speedway. For the Polk Brothers, it was a time for family—in and outside of the pits. Myself (Bob), Ron, and Rick enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting new race teams from across the country — a great reminder of why we love this sport.
We couldn’t wait to cheer on three of our new affiliate sponsored drivers—Ben Tunny (5), Gillian Leppado (0), and Chris Curtis (74)—not to mention a slew of Indianapolis Speedrome favorites, Austin Tunny, Steve Durham, and Mark Tunny.
When Saturday night came around it was rain delays, lightning, and raw chaos. Despite multiple weather interruptions, the field took the green under unpredictable skies—and the race lived up to the stormy mood. Lightning delays and rain turned the night into a game of survival and strategy, with grip levels changing constantly.
- Congrats to Austin Tunny on a thrilling come-from-behind victory, taking advantage of last-lap chaos to steal the win in dramatic fashion.
- Eddie VanMeter was the fastest car on the track and leader for most of the race. Eddie is always one of the top competitors, and he earned extra kudos for anticipating and taking the gamble on the performance of the double high wings. It worked brilliantly until the last few laps, when—I believe—tire wear and engine issues slowed his charge.
- Mark “The Marksman” Tunny was on Eddie’s heels the entire race, and may have even set the fastest lap at one point. The only other race team to take a chance on the double high wings—which, shockingly to me, worked extremely well. Mark’s car was a rocket all weekend. I was a doubting-Thomas on the size of those wings, but both Mark and Eddie Van Meter knew better than me! Mark charged hard late in the race, taking the lead, only to succumb to his own car issues with two laps to go.
- Ben Tunny ran strong inside the top 5 for most of the night. He fought hard in the front pack but got shuffled in the late-race mayhem, finishing a tough-earned 7th.
- Meanwhile Gillian Leppado refused to back down—she carved her way past multiple mid-pack cars and kept pushing in the midst of chaos. She had a gritty drive to a solid 10th place finish.
- Chris Curtis held steady inside the top 7 for most of the race and looked poised for a strong finish before getting collected in a late-race crossover crash.
- Congratulations to Jerome Wall on the 2nd place finish! Jerome is an up-and-coming star (though at this point, I’d say he’s arrived). He’s an incredibly talented young man who builds his own car and competes at an elite level. Jerome also went above and beyond off the track, helping out-of-town racers find the parts they needed to compete.
- Troy Hughes drove the only small-winged car able to keep pace with Eddie and Mark—and he was shockingly fast all weekend. After blowing his motor on Friday, Troy’s team sent back to Indy for a spare, installed it just before race-day practice, and still ran at an elite level. It was an amazing team effort.
- Steve “The Bull” Durham is a wizard, plain and simple. Steve quietly kept the leaders in sight all night from mid-pack, then used the late-race chaos to sling-shot into a 3rd place finish. Special thanks for helping Team 0 (Gillian) with the tow vehicle loan.
- At 8th place Ryan “The Rocket” Clark had the best finish among the Northwest teams. Ryan fought in the toughest mid-pack battles all night and gave so much effort that, last I saw, he was leaning against his car exhausted. Rumor has it, he may still be leaning against the front tire at CNS even today.
A special thanks to Team 0 for setting up Gillian for success both at home and on the road:
- Jerica Smith: Crew Chief
- John Cento: Engine builder of that bad-ass motor. He traveled with us to dial it in at high altitude
- Michael Jones: Jerica’s son, for his support and effort
A huge thank you to Colorado National Speedway and James Conley for putting on this incredible show. CNS remains one of my favorite venues in the country, and nobody is more dedicated to the sport than James and his wife Christina.
As for the Rumble in the Rockies, 2025 had total chaos and tons of heart—another wild one in the books.