Sports

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.

Ryan Moore scored a late pair of goals and the defense pitched another shutout Monday night as the 2nd-ranked Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings drilled Center Point-Urbana, 5-0 to advance to the Substate soccer finals.The Vikings (15-0) hit the Stormin' Pointers for a pair of early goals in the first half. David Lapan-Islas knocked one in in the fourth minute and Damon Swenson added another in the fifth minute and the Vikes were quickly up 2-0.

Photo by Jim WittkeHis nickname is the Game Changer, but the only thing changing lately is Dallon Murty’s win total.Murty scored his fourth consecutive feature win to open the season in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Albert Auto at the Benton County Speedway Bullring.He picked up $1,800 for his efforts in the draw/redraw event and earned a qualifying berth for the inaugural B&B Chassis All-Star event at this year’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.

The Benton County Speedway Bullring Lil Racer Car Club will be holding its second “Pay it Forward” night of the season this Sunday night. One lucky driver AND one lucky fan will be getting their admission into the Bullring covered by the club. ONE number is chosen randomly by Lil Racer Car Club crew members and the driver who registers at the pit shack on the registration sheet on that number line gets handed an envelope with their 30 dollar pit pass money inside.