Joel Rust made it a clean sweep in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified division Sunday night at Benton County Speedway. He won the season championship feature on his way to the 2023 track title. (Spencer Emley photo)
VINTON, Iowa (Aug 27, 2023) – Season and track champions were crowned Sunday night in the final night of IMCA Weekly Racing for the 2023 season at Benton County Speedway.
And Joel Rust earned a double celebration at The Bullring.
Rust, who entered the night with a 15 point lead in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by Beaty Excavating, simply needed to take the green flag in the main event to lock up the title.
He did that and more by earning his fourth win in weekly racing on the fast, smooth, quarter-mile.
Chase Weimer held the early lead while Troy Cordes worked the top side into the lead from a third row start a few laps into the 20-lapper.
From row four, Rust raced through traffic and challenged the low side of Cordes just past midway. He then pulled away to lock up the title with the season championship victory. Cordes, Brennen Chipp and Patrick Flannagan completed the top four.
Leah Wroten needed a top-three finish to secure her first track title in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Christie Door Company. She did just that as she raced to runner-up honors behind Kaden Reynolds in that 15-lapper to earn the track championship.
Reynolds, the defending track champion, raced to his third win of the year and came up just two points shy of the title. Norman Chesmore and Kyle Olson rounded out the top four.
Dalton Weepie earned his first win at The Bullring in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks presented by Vermedahl Trucking. From a second row start, Weepie quickly assumed command and led comfortably throughout that 15-lapper to score the milestone win.
Matt Brown came from the fourth row to finish second and Joren Fisher, who started in row six, earned his second track title in three years by finishing third. Bradly Graham came home fourth.
Brady Hilmer raced from the fifth row to his first win of the year in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Houdek Auto Center. Hilmer worked the low side past race-long leader Josh Banes midway through that 15-lapper to drive to the win.
Sam Wieben, who entered the night with a three point lead in the standings, earned his first track title with a runner-up finish. Joe Docekal and Kyle Olson completed the top four.
Cristian Grady raced to his first win in Vinton since the 2021 season championship program in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts presented by iHeart Radio. Grady raced the low side past Nolan Tuttle late in that event to take top honors. Tuttle, Stephen Randall and Colton Stewart rounded out the top four.
Lukas Rick, who exited the event early with mechanical problems, had already locked up his second straight track title in the division prior to championship night.
Griffin McGrath traded the lead early with fellow front row starter Kacey Korsmo before pulling away to his first win at The Bullring in the INEX Legends presented by Legends.Direct. Danny Lehmkuhl ran third and Michael Weber wrapped up his first track title in the division with a fourth place run.
In addition to championship night for the weekly racing divisions, the Pro Late Model Tour held its inaugural championship event Sunday night at The Bullring.
Front row starters Bryan Klein and Corey Dripps wowed the crowd throughout much of that 30-lapper. With Klein running the low side and Dripps up top, the two repeatedly swapped the top spot and were never separated by more than a car-length throughout the first 20 laps.
Meanwhile, J.D. Auringer was slicing through traffic from a row six start and settled into third by the time the caution flag waved late.
Auringer raced between the lead pair in the late stages and pulled away to the thrilling victory ahead of a hard-charging Nick Marolf, Dripps and Klein.
By virtue of his third place finish, Dripps earned the tour points title.