Denton Adds Yet Another Thursday Thunder Win
HAMPTON, Ga. – Cole Denton continued his incredible 2024 season Wednesday night with his fourth Thursday Thunder Series win of the summer at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Denton, the 13-year-old standout from Pascagoula, Miss., qualified on the pole with his familiar City Chevrolet No. 46 Legend car and dominated another week of Young Lions division action at the flat, quarter-mile oval.
He led all 20 laps and was never seriously threatened, but did have to hold off his good friend Bryce Sanders on a late restart following a caution flag with four laps left.
Denton did just that, ultimately taking the checkered flag .660 seconds clear of Sanders. Dylan Bongiovanni, Will Haire, and Baylor O’Neil filled out the top five finishers.
Wednesday marked Denton’s fourth win of the mini-series in six races, as well as his 18th overall win and 19th class victory of the year as he chases both the Thursday Thunder title and the INEX Young Lions national championship.
“What a night again at Atlanta Motor Speedway,” said Denton. “I was already super excited coming into this one because of our late-race victory a week ago, and as soon as we hit the track for practice I knew that we had speed. Qualifying on the pole by __ was a huge statement, I feel like, and it gave us the track position we needed to get out front quickly.
“Having our huge lead taken away by that late caution was disappointing, but I knew we could do what was needed to hang on and we did,” he added. “Four wins in six races of Thursday Thunder is unbelievable, and we want to finish out this dream summer strong over the last two Atlanta races.”
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 of his racing efforts.
The next Thursday Thunder race for Denton will be Thursday, July 11 during round seven on the quarter-mile Thunder Ring at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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.