MORRISON — Nick Michael’s seen a lot of speed on Thunder Mountain since he attended the first Mile-High Nationals in 1978. He’s felt the thrill firsthand, too, when racing his ’67 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme on the drag strip as a teenager.

But it’s not a record time or unbelievable finals that Michael, a 62-year-old NHRA diehard from Denver, named as one of his favorite memories at Bandimere Speedway.

Instead, Michael recalled a moment of racing camaraderie that epitomized the deep community roots of a facility that is closing at the end of 2023 after a 65-year run nestled against the Jefferson County foothills.

“Two drivers were going to race in the final, and just before the race, one guy broke his U-joint,” Michael recalled. “He’s toast, because (by rule) you only have a certain amount of time to get to the starting line. But the other guy he was going to race against had one, and that driver’s crew grabbed the part, went over to the pit and they all furiously helped their competitor get his car fixed so they could race.

“It just goes to show, out here at Bandimere, it’s a community, but it’s more than that — it’s a big family. Everyone wants to win, but they don’t want to win by default. (The amateur drivers) want their competitor to get to the starting line with their full potential, and that’s what the fans want to see. And that’s what this place is all about.”

While tens of thousands packed the Bandimere bleachers for the final Mile-High Nationals this weekend, the majority of the races the track hosts are for amateur drivers or enthusiasts with few spectators outside of family members and friends in the stands. Those 100-plus annual events, in conjunction with 43 Mile-High Nationals, played equal parts in fueling the speedway’s sense of community — and cementing its status as a one-of-a-kind NHRA mecca for fans, pro drivers and hobbyists alike.

None of whom seem to be bothered by the inherent difficulties of drag racing at 5,800 feet. Not when they have scores of other gearheads to pass the hours with on Thunder Mountain, where the races last just a few seconds.

“(The cars) run slow up here, but the people still dig it, because it’s a great environment,” said 41-year-old Phoenix driver Brandon Dolezal, who has been coming to Bandimere since he was a kid in the 1990s. “That’s a testament to the track. … I’m not in this for the money, and neither are most. People say, ‘How do you make a million bucks drag racing? Well, you start with three.’ But it’s all after the Wally — the gold man.”

Whether the goal is a Wally — the official NHRA trophy named in honor of association founder Wally Parks — or simply fun at the track, the speedway’s become a playground for drivers of all ages. It’s also become a platform for Denver-area racing companies — such as Madcap Racing Engines and Lazarus Race Cars, which share a Lakewood shop — to showcase their work.

From the older drivers who make up the Vintage Drag Racing Association to the young kids who participate in the speedway’s youth programs, Bandimere Speedway established itself as the spot to come if you’re a local racing fan. It draws over a half-million racers and fans each year. And it’s become a draw for the national hot rod community, too, with all but two states represented at this year’s Mile-High Nationals.

Track executive John “Sporty” Bandimere III called the speedway’s three youth programs” the “peak essence” of the speedway, which has groups for high school, junior street (ages 13 through 16) and junior dragsters (ages five-plus). About 100 kids a year participate in the programs, which took root back in 1973, when the High School Drags and High-Altitude Bracketnationals began.

“Those kids are our sport’s future, and it’s giving them direction,” Bandimere III said. “A lot of the kids in our program don’t have both parents or some don’t even have one parent. We believe this is important because part of my grandfather’s original vision for building the track was to provide a safe, productive space for kids who needed some direction or just want an outlet.”

Chandler Thyssen, last year’s winner in the Top Dragster category, is a local who came up through the speedway’s junior dragsters program. The 20-year-old started racing at eight, and said the track’s commitment to young fans and drivers underscored its popularity over the years.

“I see myself in these kids around here, the ones walking around, looking at all the cars, being wowed by the loudness and the drivers,” said Thyssen, a 2021 graduate of Green Mountain. “Now I’m one of those drivers, which is still a little surreal. Throughout all that, the track (has been the constant) in my life. Now, I just hope to inspire some kids.”

Beyond the feel-good, there is the economic impact to consider.

As the speedway’s marquee event, Mile-High Nationals generates an estimated $15 million annual economic impact on the metro area, according to the track. Officials said that number is likely a conservative estimate for this year’s record turnout featuring sellouts on all three days.

The speedway’s made an effort to connect with kids in the academic sphere. Its “Race to Read” initiative is in its 27th year, and about 19,000 students across more than 40 elementary schools participated this spring in the incentive-based read-at-home program that includes speedway tickets as a grand prize.

That giveback typifies the speedway’s intertwinement with Jefferson County and beyond, especially for a Bandimere family that has long leaned on their faith as a primary pillar of their ownership.

Now, with the end on Thunder Mountain approaching, this weekend provided one last, big party to celebrate the extended family that the track has built. The Bandimeres acknowledge the speedway’s legacy is nothing without the community it cultivated.

“It’s one of those things where we can’t get this year back, so people are leaning in even more on each other, and having each others’ backs even more than ever before,” explained 32-year-old dragster Bri Bandimere Herman, Sporty’s daughter and part of the fourth generation to run the track. “We are a racing family, gathered out here on the mountain. Every day of Mile-High Nationals (proved) that again.”

12 Historical Markers at Bandimere Speedway

1958 — The facility opens as the “Safety Proving Grounds of America” with an oval track, drag strip, garages for teaching youth automotive repair and a testing facility.

1968 — The speedway receives sanctioning from the National Hot Rod Association.

1977 — The first NRHA national event comes to Bandimere Speedway, the NHRA Sports Nationals.

1978 — The speedway hosts its first Mile-High Nationals, the start of a decades-long run for the prestigious NHRA event on Thunder Mountain.

1981 — Local racer Bob Brockmeyer works with Bandimere Speedway facility manager Larry Crispe to invent the Compulink timing system at the track. It’s first used in an NHRA event in Arizona in 1984 and becomes a drag racing standard by the end of the decade.

1989 — Following a $4 million renovation that tripled the speedway’s seating, Bandimere lands a sponsorship with MOPAR. The Dodge/MOPAR sponsorship is still going, making it the longest-running partnership between a company and a track in autosports history.

1991 — Lori Johns runs a 4.991 during the qualifying round at Mile-High Nationals, becoming the first four-second driver at Bandimere.

1994 — The “Top Eliminator Club” is added on the south side of the drag strip: 752 seats and a 150-foot long covered pavilion that the speedway bills as a premium viewing experience for drag racing fans.

1998 — NHRA’s all-time winningest driver, John Force, runs 301.70 mph during the qualifying round at Mile-High Nationals to become the first 300-mph driver on Thunder Mountain.

2014 — Crispe installs a temperature regulation system beneath the starting line to cool the track in red-hot July during Mile-High Nationals. As a result, seven of eight NHRA track records are broken at the event that year as the system beneath the starting line allows the on-track temperature to fall by as much as 20 degrees, enabling more efficient starts for the drivers.

2020 — Mile-High Nationals is canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A legal fight over personal freedom soon follows after the speedway holds a July Fourth event, with a crowd in the thousands exceeding coronavirus restrictions that limited gatherings to 175 people.

2023 — The final running of Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway before the facility is sold and razed next year; over 100,000 fans come out across three days, including sold-out crowds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.