Sports

Sunday, June 13, join us at Benton County Speedway’s HUGE candy dash, sponsored by Christine Rublack,  as she attempts to set a Guinness Book of World Records feat by dumping the MOST candy (by weight) on a race track in Iowa! Make sure kids, to head out there and sign in and grab a bag from your Bullring Lil Racer Car Club! There will definitely BE enough for everybody! The total weight to be announced right before it's all spread down the front stretch of the race track!Wonderful Father's Day gifts will be on display that Lil Racers can try to WIN for their dads on June 20th at the Benton County Speedway Lil Racer Car Club! Lil Racers, when they sign in for the night, get tickets that THEY drop in red buckets in front of the respective prize that they THINK their dad would like to have for Father's Day! Winners announced at intermission.

(Photo by Jim Wittke)Wroten recovers, wins IMCA Stock Car thriller at the BullringVINTON, Iowa (June 6) - When Damon Murty takes the lead of an event at Benton County Speedway, the race is typically for second.Someone failed to mention that to Leah Wroten.Wroten, who led throughout the 15-lapper for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Albert Auto, lost the lead late to Murty, then took advantage of a caution with two laps to go to drive to her first division win on the Vinton quarter-mile.

By SAGE HOLMESVINTON – Vikette soccer phenom sophomore Abby Davis had big expectations for the 2021 soccer season after not getting to play in 2020 due to a global pandemic.  Davis started off the regular season with nine goals in three games against the West Delaware Hawks, Independence Mustangs, and Maquoketa Cardinals.  She scored her first goal in 17 days on Friday, April 30 against the South Tama, then scored one against Dyersville Beckman, two against Cedar Valley Christian, a hat trick against Anamosa, the deciding goal against Center Point-Urbana, two against Monticello and a hat trick to break the record at West Liberty on Friday, May 21.

VINTON – The Vinton-Shellsburg Vikette varsity softball team is off to a 2-6 start for 2021.  The Vikette wins were 1-0 vs. Marion and 5-2 vs. Riverside.  The losses in a doubleheader to the Mount Vernon Mustangs, the Janesville Wildcats, Jesup J-Hawks, game two to Marion, and the Springville Orioles.The win over Marion was dramatic, as V-S pitcher Anna Becker outdualed Wolves' ace Megan Kessens.

The Lil Racer Car Club invites all kids under the age of 12 to stop by the clubhouse across from Main Concessions at the Benton County Speedway,  "The Bullring" this Sunday night and bring their grandparents along and introduce them to the Lil Racer Crew. We THEN give the grandparents a ticket, good for a drawing at intermission where THEY have a chance to win gift cards from local businesses in the Vinton area! ( if any local business wishes to showcase themselves we can do that and all it takes is a 25 dollar gift card! Just contact Mitch at mitchell-swinton@uiowa.

Troy Cordes, 3rd driver, 1st IMCA Modified in Benton County Speedway history to earn 60 wins. (Photo by Jim Wittke)Troy Cordes became just the third driver - and first IMCA Modified - in Benton County Speedway history to earn 60 wins. His win Sunday was his third straight at the Bullring. (Photo by Jim Wittke)Wet weather in the area forced the cancellation of SLMA Late Model tour action over the weekend, but John Emerson was glad Benton County Speedway kept the division on the schedule for a Sunday special.

The Lil Racer Car Club will be OPEN for business each Sunday night but will not be holding any big events ourselves for the next three weeks, as other track events have been scheduled. This Sunday night, the Hoker Trucking Late Model Series will invade the high-banked speedway and the club anticipates adding a few new members from drivers’ families who wouldn’t normally attend the weekly shows at the track.

The Cedar Valley Nature Trail will experience intermittent closures between Center Point and Urbana starting June 1 for trail improvements, including hard surfacing. This six-mile segment, between Ash Lane just north of Center Point and Highway 150 west of Urbana, will undergo improvements to the trail grade and drainage, as well as an eventual asphalt overlay on the trail surface.

"Don't cry because it's over...smile because it happened..."It was Ethan Rollinger, the quiet, steady defensive leader of the Vinton-Shellsburg boys' soccer team, who rallied his teammates one final time, but we'll get back to that.The amazing ride this scrappy group of young men took us all on this spring ended abruptly Wednesday on the pitch of the Karr Athletic Complex as the previously unbeaten Vikes fell 4-1 to an excellent group from Waverly-Shell Rock.

The Lil Racer Car Club held a memorable night for the fans at the Benton County Speedway Bullring last Sunday night. The weather turned out perfect as the club signed in 70 Lil Racers, making them eligible for our door prize drawings and our “Lil Racer of the Week”. We held our second, “Pay it Forward Night” and the lucky number this time was #65, meaning the 65th person through the gate AND the 65th driver to sign in at the pit shack BOTH received white envelopes where the club paid for their respective admission fee for the night.