It’s land that I know like the back of my hand. Colorado’s Front Range is gorgeous country, punctuated by the Rocky Mountains, red rocks, and gorgeous roads that cover the best the state has to offer. No drive up Interstate 25 will ever do justice to the landscape that lies between Pueblo and Morrison, and for the participants of the 2019 Rocky Mountain Race Week, they now know first-hand exactly what I miss about Colorado, because they got to see it all for themselves on the drive that took them from Pueblo Motorsports Park to Bandimere Speedway. Their route kept far away from I-25 and instead gave the racers a great view of Royal Gorge, near Cañon City. Some brave souls even ventured out onto the Royal Gorge Bridge, which at 955 feet above the Arkansas River, will give those afraid of heights something to think about as they look down to the water below. It’s a shame that wildfires in 2013 took out the cog railroad that would take you to the bottom of the canyon…that was worth the price of admission!

From there, it was a couple hundred miles of trees, vistas and creeks as the competitors drove through old mining patches, ghost towns and tourist traps before eventually landing at Bandimere. The track on the mountain is a great way to learn about the disappointment in altitude…at over 5,000 feet in elevation, just about any vehicle will suffer some form of altitude sickness on the only NHRA-sanctioned track in the country that runs an uphill shutdown area and a downhill staging area. With cars already suffering problems due to the heat and the even higher elevations found along the drive, there were bound to be issues and the pits at Bandimere showcased what can happen if you go for the number instead of the journey. Kyle and the 1320Video crew are riding along with the racers the whole trip through and have plenty of footage for you to digest…check it out below!