Vinton, IA (Sunday, June 21, 2015) - With my regular Sunday night track getting rained out and add the fact that I didn't have to work Monday, I decided to make the trip northwest to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa. This would be my first ever visit to the track.
The 12 lap Micro Mod feature was the first to take to the track, with Scott Beaty and AJ Witten leading the field to the drop of the green flag. But just as the green flag was waved the red flag would appear. Buster Pate would slow coming off turn 4 and collected Matt Post and Dallon Murty. Post ended up rolling onto the drivers side just under the flag stand. He would be rolled back up right and drove away to continue to race. On the restart Witten grabbed the lead on lap 1 over Beaty and Don Erger, who started 7th. After the completion of lap 1, Post would spin in turn 1 to bring out the yellow. Witten jumped back out front on the restart, with Erger and Cole McNeal over taking Beaty for second and third. Witten's run up front came to an end on lap 2, as he spun in turn 2 to bring out the caution. Erger would inherit the lead on the restart, with Tristan Cordes, who started 11th, over taking McNeal for the runner up spot. Erger then pulled away over the final 10 laps to pick up his third win of the season at the track. Cordes was 2nd, McNeal was 3rd, Jason Hard started 9th and finished 4th, Post recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish in 5th.
Up next was the 16 lap IMCA SportMod feature, with Dave Schulze and Kyle Bentley making up the front row. Bentley took advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Danny Dvorak and Curt Hilmer. After the completion of lap 1 the red flag was displayed, as Dave McCalla rolled softly onto the drivers side off turn 4. On the restart Bentley moved back out front, with Dvorak and Hilmer close behind. Dvorak would use the bottom of the track coming off turn 4 to grab the top spot away from Bentley on lap 3. Just as Dvorak started to pull away from the field, Matt Petrzelka, who was running 6th, spun in turn 2 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Tony Olson, who started 9th, jumped to the top of the track on the restart to take the lead away from Dvorak, with Hilmer following to take over the runner up spot. Olson then pulled away over the final 8 laps to claim his fourth win in a row and fifth overall at the track. Joey Schaefer came from 11th to finish in 2nd, Hilmer was 3rd, Schulze was 4th, with Dvorak rounding out the top 5.
Shane Ebaugh and Scott Beauregard made up the front row for the 18 lap IMCA Stock Car feature, with Ebaugh grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Mike Galli and Scooter Dulin, who started 6th. The action up front was slowed on lap 5, as debris in turn 3 brought out the yellow. On the restart Ebaugh moved back out front, with Dulin and Damon Murty, who started 10th, close behind. Scott Pippert, who started 7th, went to work on the bottom of the track to try and get the lead away from Ebaugh. On lap 10 Pippert was able to edge Ebaugh out at the line to take over the lead. But Ebaugh would come back on the top side to grab the lead back on lap 11. When Ebaugh dropped to the bottom in turn 4 coming to complete lap 13, that was all Murty needed to grab the top spot away. Murty would hold off Pippert over the final 5 laps to pick up his fifth win of the season at the track. Pippert was 2nd, Ebaugh was 3rd, Dulin was 4th, with Justin Stander finishing 5th after starting in 8th.
The 20 lap IMCA Modified feature was up next, with Mike Burbridge and Jerry Dedrick leading the field to the green. But just as the green flag was waved the yellow light would come on, as the right front came off Troy Cordes' car down the front stretch to bring out the caution. On the restart Corey Dripps spun in turn 2 and collected Robbie Schmuecker and Josh Barta to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Burbridge jump out front to lead lap 1 over Dedrick and Dennis Betzer. Just as Burbridge started to pull away the caution appeared on lap 8. Patrick Flannagan wne tover the track in turns 1 and 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Schmuecker came to a stop in turn 2 to bring the yellow back out. The following restart saw Burbridge move back out front, with Dedrick and Scott Hogan, who started 7th, close behind. Burbridge once again started to pull away from the field, when Dedrick's run up front came to an end on lap 17. He would spin off turn 2 to bring out the yellow and bring the field back to Burbridge's back bumper. Burbridge once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Hogan and Dripps, who spun on the start, following close behind. Hogan would jump to the top of the track going into turn 3 and used the momentum off turn 4 to grab the lead coming to the white flag. Hogan then held off Burbridge on the final lap to pick up his first win of the season. Burbridge settled for 2nd, Flannagan recovered from his spin on lap 8 to come back up to finish in 3rd, Zach Less passed 9 cars from his 13th place starting spot to come home in 4th, with Tysus Pattee finishing 5th after starting in 10th.
Dirk Hamilton and Jon Passick drew the front row for the 25 lap IMCA Late Model feature, with Passick grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Hamilton and Sean Johnson. The action up front was slowed on lap 4, when Mark Hurst spun in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. At the same time Todd Cooney, who was running 4th, pitted with a left rear flat tire. On the restart Passick jumped back out front, with Johnson over taking Hamilton for 2nd. Ryan Dolan, who was running 5th, spun off the track in turn 4 on lap 7 to bring out the caution. Paul Nagle, who started 8th, slipped under Passick on the restart to grab the top spot away. One lap later, lap 8, teammates Curtis Glover, who started 14th and was running 7th, and Todd Cooney, who recovered from the flat on lap 4 to climb back up to 8th, made contact in turn 1 which caused Cooney to spin and bring out the yellow. On the restart Chris Snyder spun down the front stretch and collected Hurst to bring the yellow light back on. The following restart saw Nagle jump back out front, with Passick and Johnson close behind. Nagle then pulled away to a straight-away lead over the next 13 laps, when disaster struck him on lap 22. Nagle would pull into the infield with motor troubles to end his hopes of a win. This would give Passick the lead back. The final caution of the event appeared on lap 23, when Ben Seemann slowed to a stop in turn 2 to bring out the yellow. On the restart Passick moved back out front, but now had Charlie McKenna, who started 13th, challenging him. Coming to the white flag McKenna would get under Passick to race side-by-side down the front stretch. But Passick would use the momentum off the top of the track to hold off McKenna coming to the checkered flag to claim his first win of the season. McKenna settled for 2nd, Johnson was 3rd, Jerry King was 4th, with John Emerson coming from 11th to finish in 5th.
The final feature to take to the track was the 15 lap IMCA Hobby Stocks, with Zach Swanson and Kyle Dulin leading the field to green. Swanson would take advantage of his front row start to grab the lead on lap 1 over Matt Brown and Leah Wroten. Swanson then held on to the top spot until lap 5 when he bobbled in turn 4, which allowed Brown to shoot under him for the lead. Nathan Ballard, who started 11th, quickly moved through the field to move into the runner up spot by lap 10. Going into turn 3 on the final lap Ballard was able to get under Brown, as the two raced off turn 4 side-by-side. Ballard was able to edge Brown out at the line in a caution free race to pick up his fifth win of the season at the track. Brown settled for 2nd, Swanson was 3rd, Justin Wacha started 9th and finished 4th, with Brett Vanous coming home in 5th.
Notes from Vinton: 17 Late Models, 16 Modifieds, 15 SportMods, 14 Hobby Stocks, 13 Stock Cars, and 13 Micro Mods made up the 88 cars signed in on the night......Tyler Inman started the Micro Mod feature in 12th and finished 7th....Carson Less started 10th and finished 8th......Matt Petrzelka recovered from his spin on lap 7 to come back up to finish in 6th....Jake Salisbury started 13th and finished 8th....Dawn Krall and Dan Drury both had troubles after the heat race that forced them to scratch from the feature......Les Blakley finished 9th in the Stock Car feature after starting in 11th....Michael Peterson started 12th and finished 10th....Cliff Gary had troubles on the parade lap and was pushed back to the pits......Colby Heishman passed 9 cars from his 15th place starting spot to come home 6th in the Modified feature....Jerry Dedrick finished 10th after spinning on lap 17....Brandon Maitland moved up from the Micro Mods to the Modifieds and would come home in 11th....Corey Dripps, who spun on the start and had climbed back up to 3rd by lap 17, spun in turn 2 on the last lap to be credited with 12th......Curtis Glover recovered from involvement in the lap 8 caution to come back up to finish 7th in the Late Model feature....Todd Cooney recovered from his spin on lap 8 to climb back up to finish 8th. He would even cross the line with another left rear flat....Ben Seeman recovered from his spin on lap 23 to come back up to finish in 10th....Paul Conrad started 15th and finished 11th....Jason Seegmiller started 17th and finished 12th......Jim Ball started the Hobby Stock feature in 14th and finished 7th....Mike Kimm started 13th and finished 9th....Rod Grother started 12th and finished 10th....Bill Bonnett was suppose to start 6th, but had troubles after the heat race that forced him to scratch from the feature.
I would like to thank Mick Trier, Mike Van Genderen and the entire staff at the Benton County Speedway for the warm welcome. I hope to make another trip up to the Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Iowa sometime in the near future!
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