VINTON, Iowa – Benton County Speedway ended its point season on a hot, humid Sunday evening.
Nicknamed The Bullring, the track has been led by the Dripps family in their initial year of promoting.
The cheer of the night went to driver Nathan Chandler, who is battling stage four cancer, after he drove from eighth to the lead in three corners to lead all the way in the sport compact main.
The all-time track leader in sport compact wins, the 34-year-old father of four will start treatment Monday. In victory lane Chandler stated, “I’m going to fight this and win. I’ve got a lot of living to do.”
He reportedly feels fine and will enter treatment with support of the Benton County Speedway community.
IMCA divisions of modifieds, Northern sport mods, stock cars, hobby stocks and sport compacts were joined by mod lites to deliver a 103 car field.
The hobby stock feature saw Aaron Martin lead four laps before the top was used by Nathan Ballard to take the lead. Three laps later Kaden Reynolds used the same high side turn four move to take the lead for the last eight laps for the win. Ballard took the track title.
Mod lites exceeded the minute per lap plus five minutes rule, the first time that has occurred this season. Jeff Davis lost a drag race out of turn four to Matt Post on lap five to settle it. Post won while Cole McNeal won the championship.
Stack cars raced 15 laps, with the first one having three cars together at the line. One of them was Dallon Murty and he used the upper groove to take over on lap two and later held off challenges from Jay Schmidt for the win and his first track title.
In the modified division, Mike Burbridge led after a lap-four pass of Joe Haresky and ran several side by side laps with Tom Berry Jr. until eighth-starting Berry took over, leading the final 11 laps for the win.
Troy Cordes claimed the track championship.
Sport mods finished the evening with Brian Kauffman winning his second feature at Benton County. When Kyle Olson slid up in turn four while leading, Kauffman drove under him to lead the final nine laps.
Olson tried a couple times to retake control but had to settle for second. Ben Chapman was named the track champion.