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Anyone who lives in Denver, Colorado knows that KBPI is a family, but not a family with a sweet elderly grandmother and well behaved children. Instead, it’s a family filled with odd-ball characters, the crazier the better; especially when it comes to cars.
Not your typical urban race course, High Plains Raceway offers a destination like no other out in Colorado’s farm country.
This last weekend, KBPI, the popular rock radio station in Denver, held its first open track event at High Plains Raceway. Set out in the middle of nowhere, nearly 45 miles East of Denver in Dear Trail, High Plains Raceway offers 2.5 miles of paved road course with twists, turns, elevation changes and of course, a nasty-fast straight-away. Yes, the cows grazing on the hill nearby may be a bit of a shocker at first, but the location is perfect for some high performance fun without any pesky, non-car oriented neighbors constantly complaining about the noise.
Partaking in Sunday’s rock event were vehicles and enthusiasts waving every type of flag imaginable, from Porsche shields and Nissan circles to Mini Cooper wings and Scion waves. Of course, we weren’t there for imported performance. We were there for the all American muscle cars on display!
With lines of fourth and fifth-generation Camaros, fifth and sixth-generation Corvettes, and Mustangs of at least three different generations, there was definitely enough to keep any gearhead intrigued. But the new stuff was only half the fun. Tempting their fate among the modern performance machines, we found a gorgeous second-gen Firebird, a 1968 LeMans, and even a Ford Fairmont. If you were looking for the domestic way to do things, Sunday’s High Plains event was definitely the place to be.
Sure, Willie B may have an affinity for old-school Mopars, but he doesn’t discriminate, also owning and driving the snot out of one of the coolest C5 Corvettes we’ve ever seen.
Hosting the event was Willie B, KBPI’s morning show DJ who’s known in the community as the car guy of all car guys with a special affinity for old-school Mopars. During the event, Willie even brought out one of his beloved Mopars to share with the crowd- his 1970 Road Runner.
While Willie admittedly bleeds the blue of the Chrysler Group brand, owning a number of Dodges and Plymouths, from a ’68 Charger to the KBPI Super Bee, he also has a soft spot for the LS engine. This love can be found in the other car that Willie brought out to exhibit on Sunday, his twin-turbocharged Matte Black C5 Corvette dubbed Hellish.
Early Birds Get The Worms
Fitted with a modern LS engine, this 1968 Pontiac LeMans was so gorgeous, we just couldn’t get enough. So we hit up its owner, Tom Urlich, for more information, which we’ll be sharing in a future feature!
The KBPI event out at High Plains Raceway kicked off at 7:30 a.m. with a mandatory drivers and riders meeting, following a breakfast stop at Rookies at 6 a.m. Taught by Track Manager Glenn Cosner, the brief meeting went over rules of the track, driving courtesies and flag insignia. Once everyone was clear on the rules they must follow to continue to participate in the all-day event, Group 1 of the drivers headed out to the track to push their driving limits, as well as their vehicle’s utmost performance, power and handling capabilities.
Held in three rounds, Group 1, 2 and the Motorcycle Group alternated time on the track with bench-racing and vehicle scoping in the cold pit area. Each group got a half hour of uninterrupted time on the track before the next group went on, giving each group a chance to hit the pavement more than five times throughout the day. During each group’s downtime, there were also bands to listen to, belly dancers to watch and some good eats to be had at the Colorado Grill located right on the raceway’s property.
From barely-modified classics to pro-touring beasts, every type of vehicle was welcome at the KBPI open track event. 
Head to head, Willie B and his brother Billy 's Corvettes were both impressive, but at the end of the race, only one brother would pull ahead. 
Grudge Match
While the majority of the event was all about going out and having fun on the track with personal performance vehicles, during the lunch break, KBPI listeners were in for a special treat. That’s because at 12:30, Willie B and his boss at the station Joe, took to the track to settle a bet of brawn and bragging rights.
All in good fun, Willie B (left) didn’t let the boss man leave without a good-hearted ribbing over his losing track presence.
Over the last couple of months, KBPI listeners have gotten an earful of trash talking between the two KBPI employees, each claiming that their vehicle would beat the other’s. So while the track shut down to everyone else for lunch, Willie and Joe made their way out to the track to prove once and for all who’s car was better. Tagging along was Willie’s brother Billy and with a 10-second split start, the race was on.
Although Willie started last in his C5 Corvette, he easily closed the gap between him and his brother’s C6 on the back straight-away. Flying up to Joe’s Porsche 996 convertible within seconds, both Corvettes passed Joe in the technical section of the track after he spun out in the dirt, leaving him in the dust to fight the corners in last place.
While Billy’s Corvette managed to stick with Willie’s car through a lot of the twists and turns, it was Willie that easily took first place going into lap two.
After a problem with Billy’s Corvette caused him to pull into the pits after lap one, it was just Willie and his boss battling it out in the ultimate competition. But at that point, Willie was so far ahead of Joe that it really wasn’t a race for the finish.
While the competition was hot, when all was said and done it was Willie B and his turbo-charged C5 that took the checkered flag.
Coming in over 30 seconds quicker than his counter part, Willie took the title and the ultimate victory lap. Of course Joe was waiting for him in the pits when he returned where the two exchanged comedic jabs at one another and Joe tried to play off his loss by blaming it on shifting issues. As Willie proved later, it was really driver error and Joe ended up settling the bet with a $500 food and bar tab at Rookies in Strasburg (on the way back to Denver from the track) for the entire KBPI family. Check out a video compilation of the race put together by KBPI below.
All’s Well That Ends Well
With all kinds of automotive fun to be had, the entire KBPI family had a blast out at High Plains Raceway, so much so that we wouldn’t be surprised if there’s going to be another KBPI open track event next season! For more pictures of the action at the KBPI open track event, check out the gallery below!
