There's a town in east central Iowa that has boasted many things over the years. The community of just over 5,000 people, nestled along the Cedar River in Benton County, was known as the "Popcorn Capital" of Iowa due to its popular Vinton Popcorn Company that was located on West 4th Street for many years. Although that business closed a number of years ago, the rural community is still known as the "City of Lights" for its numerous, beautiful Christmas light displays which draw many travelers during the holiday season.
The community of Vinton is a proud little town. When you enter the city from the north on Highway 150, you feel as though you've entered a small town like those depicted in annual holiday TV specials. You always tend to feel you're visiting the right place as you travel across the bridge and down the hill, greeted by old fashioned street lights and murals that grace the buildings as you make your way downtown. The residents of Vinton take pride in their community and they know how to get things done.
On the southeast corner of town you'll find the Benton County Fairgrounds, the location of the annual Benton County Fair in late July and, more recently, the Boomtown Vinton fireworks celebration that was started just a few years ago, along with weekly stock car racing from April through mid-September every year . When it comes to getting things done in Vinton, you won't find a better example than a Sunday night at the fairgrounds. This Sunday night, June 12, was no different.
4:00 p.m. - Normally a bustling place around this time, the gate to the pit area of the race track and main grandstand entrance were relatively quiet on this night. A few regulars, committed to reserving their seats for the weekly racing program, were in attendance, as were a couple of race teams wanting to be sure to get their parking spots in the pits. It was casual, however, almost giving you an uneasy feeling that the hard work put into the week's program was done in vain. The clouds were present for most of the day and a few light, random sprinkles were starting to make their way to the ground.
Those rain drops didn't materialize into anything more than a nuisance over the next hour or so as the line of cars to the pit entrance and the line of race fans at the main gate continued to lengthen. "It's Sunday and we're in Vinton. We will race tonight," appeared to be the sense shared by everyone who made their way to the track despite the increasingly threatening skies to the west.
5:22 p.m. - Race cars were called to the race track to help pack in the racing surface in order to get the program underway in a timely manner and, hopefully, to dodge as many rain drops as possible.
5:31 p.m. - The many cars on the track were ushered off of the speedway by track official as the track packing was quick, efficient and thorough. It was time for hot laps.
5:52 p.m. - With hot laps complete and the show opened by announcer Bucky Doren, the first heat of IMCA Hobby Stocks makes its way to the speedway... then the second... then the IMCA Sport Compacts as the drops became slightly bigger and greater in number. Cars entered and left the track in quick, orderly fashion. We don't rain out in Vinton. We race.
6:27 p.m. - Thirty-five minutes after the first heat race took the first green flag of the night, the final heat race took the checkered flag - 11 heat races, 35 minutes, 0 caution flags.
6:28 p.m. - A quick check of the radar revealed there were still showers in the area. Actually, from the looks of Accuweather radar, it WAS raining in Vinton. Nevermind that, we had work to do... It was time for feature racing.
6:33 p.m. - After a parade lap for the IMCA Hobby Stocks, the field took the green flag for the first feature of the night. Inside second row starter Russell Damme Jr. swept past front row starters Justin Wacha and Cale Peterson to lead the first time around the fast 1/4-mile oval. Damme maintained a nice advantage out front while fellow second row starter Jacob Keiser worked past Wacha and Peterson on lap three as Justin Stander followed him into third.
Keiser reeled in Damme on the seventh lap and applied pressure to the leader's back bumper as Vince Buchholz made his way into fourth after starting in the fifth row. The order remained unchanged until the 13th lap when Stander bobbled exiting turn two. As he was trying to regain control of his machine, Buchholz slipped past him as the two made contact, sending Stander into a spin off the back stretch to bring out the first caution of the race. Check that, the first caution of the night... during race 12... on lap 93. When racing resumed, Damme held off the persistent Keiser to score his first win of the season.
1. 4JR Russell Damme Jr.
2. 07 Jacob Keiser
3. 55 Vince Buchholz
4. 78 Matt Brown
5. 2P Cale Peterson
6. 47 Scott Pippert
7. 17K Kyle Parizek
8. 45 Justin Wacha
9. 77 Rod Grother
10. 64JR Jeremiah Wilson
6:40 p.m. - Russell Damme Jr. made his way to victory lane for his interview as the IMCA Sport Compacts prepared to roll out of the staging area for their 12-lap feature event and the pesky rain drops stopped, at least momentarily.
6:44 p.m. - The green flag waved for the IMCA Sport Compact main event with pole-sitter Ross Kitner showing the way to lead lap one. Nathan Chandler, who started a row behind Kitner to the outside, quickly made his way past Jacob McVay and the leader to secure the top spot on lap two. Three laps later, Brad Chandler worked his way into second from a fourth row start as the lead pair quickly pulled away from the field.
The Chandlers were a straightaway ahead of third-running Brett Vanous when the race's only caution waved on lap eight after Gary Peiffer and Merv Chandler came together in turn four. When racing resumed, the leaders again pulled away from the pack with Nathan holding off Brad to score the victory.
1. 22 Nathan Chandler
2. 2 Brad Chandler
3. 35 Brett Vanous
4. 51 Bryce Bailey
5. 07 Tyler Whalen
6. 57K Ross Kitner
7. 1 Merv Chandler
8. 22T Travis Losenicky
9. 83 Travis Ross
10. 23 Brad Vanous
6:50 p.m. - As Nathan Chandler exited his car to prepare for the victory lane interview, the IMCA SportMods remained in staging, anxiously awaiting their turn on the speedway for their 15-lap feature.
6:54 p.m. - The green flag waved for the 21-car IMCA SportMod field with second row starter Racer Hullin powering to the front on the low groove of the speedway. He disposed of front row starters Ed O'Brien and Curt Hilmer to lead lap one. Hilmer remained in second while Ken Kositzky quickly made his way into third on lap three following a caution one lap prior.
Hullin held a decent advantage over the field when he entered lapped traffic just past the midway point, allowing Kositzky, who drove the low line into second, and Hilmer to close the gap. A caution one lap later removed the lapped traffic, but placed Kositzky and Hilmer on his rear bumper for the restart. When racing resumed, Hullin pulled away from the field and survived one final stoppage to motor to his second win of the season.
1. 505 Racer Hullin
2. K0 Ken Kositzky
3. 22H Curt Hilmer
4. 30X Josh Modde
5. J2 Dave Schulze
6. 00 Jim Buhlman
7. 3R Danny Dvorak
8. 3D Drew Fish
9. K3 Kyle Olson
10. 23R Nick Roberts
7:09 p.m. - Racer Hullin prepared for his second career victory lane interview with the IMCA Stock Cars at the ready to start their 15-lap feature as the light, pesky rain drops returned to the southeast corner of town.
7:12 p.m. - John Schaefer shot into the lead at the start of the IMCA Stock Car main event. Schaefer was among a trio of different drivers to hold the lead over the course of the first three laps. After Mike Galli briefly assumed command on lap two, the middle of the pack saw four-wide action for position on lap three with Damon Murty sneaking through for fourth as Scooter Dulin took a turn out front.
As Dulin led, Paul Shepherd settled into second and briefly challenged to the low side while Murty worked the top groove. Murty worked the high side around Shepherd, then quickly dropped to the bottom to inch ahead of Dulin for the lead on lap seven. Dulin led the remainder of the caution-free event to score the victory, his second straight.
1. 99D Damon Murty
2. 3T Scooter Dulin
3. 31S Paul Shepherd
4. 81X Randy Killen
5. 10 John Schaefer
6. 76 Mike Galli
7. 17 Jason Niedert
8. 15 Norman Chesmore
9. 6X Bob Ahrendsen
10. 7H Phil Holtz
7:17 p.m. - Damon Murty prepared to answered questions about his second straight trip to victory lane as the evening's finale, the IMCA Modified feature, was ready to give the night a memorable finish.
7:21 p.m. - IMCA Modified feature pole-sitter Tony Olson, who has made it an undesirable habit of starting mid-pack or worse the past couple of weeks, took the green flag from the pole in the night's feature. Following a caution on the initial start of the 20-lap event, Olson rocketed into the lead only to have action slowed one final time after the completion of lap two.
On that restart, Olson again took charge, running the extreme high groove of the speedway. Fellow front row starter Brandon Banks gave chase while Troy Cordes and Joe Docekal worked the bottom groove into third and fourth. Olson allowed his competitors to stay in the hunt via a miscue exiting turn four midway through the event and getting a little too high in the corners late in the race.
Banks, Docekal and Cordes switched grooves throughout the event, running high and low at various times as they tried to cut into Olson's lead. The top four were running just a couple of car-lengths apart when the white flag waved. At that time, both Cordes and Docekal shot to the low side of Banks as Olson's pursuers worked the low side of the leader. Olson, Cordes and Docekal stayed three-wide down the back stretch as Olson regained the edge in the final set of turns. He powered off turn four to take the thrilling win in a photo finish that separated all three drivers by mere inches. Cordes edged Docekal at the line for second.
1. T23 Tony Olson
2. 71 Troy Cordes
3. 12D Joe Docekal
4. 22 Brandon Banks
5. 33D Scott Hogan
6. F7 Patrick Flannagan
7. 25 Shawn Fisher
8. 11B Mike Burbridge
9. 5 Jerry Dedrick
10. 7 Todd Jensen
7:34 p.m. - With the sprinkles slowly fading away, Tony Olson made his way to victory lane for the final celebration of the night. Sixteen races and an hour and 42 minutes after the first green flag waved, the track officials quietly gathered their belongings, loaded their ATVs and made their way to the pit office to drop off their radios while concession manager Dan Engledow and his staff worked to close down and clean up below the grandstands. Judy Burkey - ticket taker, grandstand greeter, grounds worker, track prep worker (yes, she spent two hours on the sheeps foot on Saturday night as she has for many years) and master of all trades at the speedway, exited to her car while Don Burkey quietly pulled the road grader onto the track to get an early start for next week's show.
They say rain was in the forecast for Vinton on Sunday. Those on-hand at Benton County Speedway, however, had racing in the forecast. And racing wins out over rain on Sundays in Vinton. They know how to get the job done and, on this Sunday, the racing in the forecast made for a typical Sunday night at the speedway.
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