Denton Stays Unbeaten At Cordele, Grabs 14th Win Of ’24
CORDELE, Ga. – Cole Denton picked up his 14th overall Legend car win of the season in Young Lions action on Saturday, remaining undefeated at Cordele Motor Speedway in the process.
Denton qualified second and started on the outside pole in a 20-lap feature that combined the Charger, Young Lion, and Semi-Pro classes at the three-eighths-mile paved oval.
He spent the early stages locked in an intense battle with polesitter Cooper Gaul and Kyle Bacon, before finally taking the lead outright on lap 12 and opening up a sizable lead after that.
A caution flag with five to go, however, set up a restart that Denton aced en route to victory. He finished .335 of a second ahead of Bacon, with Gaul, Bryce Sanders, and Scott Mosely filling out the top five.
Denton now has seven Young Lions victories in seven races for the division this year at Cordele.
“We’re not focused on the winning streak, but Cordele has been really, really good to us all year long,” Denton said with a smile. “We had a fun battle with Cooper and Kyle there for the first half of the race, but once we got out in clean air, I could really put the car wherever I needed to.
“The caution and restart could have been a challenge, but we got a good launch and get back to victory lane.”
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.
Denton will be back on track Thursday, June 13 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for round two of the Thursday Thunder Series on the quarter-mile Thunder Ring.
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.