Sports

A full schedule is in store for race fans at Benton County Speedway. Weekly racing, plus a pair of other motorsports events will highlight the coming week at The Bullring.Prior to Benton County Fair festivities, IMCA weekly racing will continue on Father’s Day Sunday, June 19.Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by KISS Country 96.5, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Vermedahl Logistics, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Christie Door Company, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, and INEX Legends presented by Legends.

The weekly racing season continues this Sunday, June 12, at Benton County Speedway with a sweet treat thrown in during intermission.The annual candy dash, which established a Guinness World Record in weight of candy offered for such an event one year ago, will be held on the front stretch for the youth in attendance.All six weekly divisions will be in action, including Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by KISS Country 96.

Back in 2013 a small group of breast cancer survivors, many of whom were diagnosed through mammography, were discussing ways to make sure that all women had access to these health services without worrying about the cost. That conversation became the start of Party in Pink, an annual fundraiser to support Gifts of Hope. Gifts of Hope is a program through the Virginia Gay Hospital Foundation.

Back in 2013 a small group of breast cancer survivors, many of whom were diagnosed through mammography, were discussing ways to make sure that all women had access to these health services without worrying about the cost. That conversation was the start of the Party in Pink 5K. The first year we kept asking ourselves, do we know what we are doing? Actually, wedidn’t! If you were there, you might recall that we were timing racers with volunteers who had stopwatches! We were hoping for 100 racers; we had over 400! We could never have anticipated the support that Vinton and the surrounding communities showed us.

Following the Riverside Park arson incident a few weeks ago, a baseball team from Cedar Rapids, wanted to do something. Anything. They wanted to let the Vinton team that they would be playing that they too felt the impact of the town's loss. Jennifer Wagner, one of the parents tossed around several ideas to find a way to let Vinton know that the kids in Cedar Rapids were rooting for them.

For the first time this season, late models will highlight Super Sunday action Sunday, June 5 at Benton County Speedway.Running SLMR-type rules, competitors will chase a $1,200 winner’s share. The feature will pay $150 to start. There is no entry fee. Weekly racing for the six weekly divisions will join the late models, and points remain close in all classes.

Tom Berry Jr. led all the laps and Sam Wieben led the most important one in the Monday night 43rd Anniversary special at Benton County Speedway.Berry led all 43 laps in winning the star-filled Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature, while Wieben lost, then got the lead back from Taylor Kuehl on the final circuit to win the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature.

The Iowa High School Sports Network will broadcast the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Soccer Tournament finals, June 4th at Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines. IHSSN will air the class 1A, 2A and 3A championship matches at 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. respectively. Viewers can watch the soccer championships at IHSSN.com or on the Watch IHSSN App, as well as on select broadcast and cable affiliates.

Joel Rust had 1,000 reasons to smile Sunday night.Rust drove the top side to victory and a $1,000 payday in the prelude to Monday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified 43rd anniversary race.Starting in row seven, Rust quickly worked through the pack and, once he got to the top side, made an even faster march to the front.At around the 10 lap mark, Rust settled into the top five and set sail in the high groove of the fast, smooth, quarter-mile.

The winner of Leah Wroten’s 100-dollar Grandparent’s Night gift card was Scott and Lisa Edmunds of Cedar Rapids. We gave away two $50.00 cards and two $15.00 cards. Congratulations to all the grandparents! One $15.00 gift card was unclaimed so next week, Crew Chief Mitch will find a deserving grandparent at the track and make THEIR day this upcoming Sunday.