VINTON, Iowa (July 14, 2024) – Nolan Tuttle checked a must-win race off his bucket list while Kaden Reynolds and Nathan Ballard both raced to career-third Urbana 5 Memorial feature wins Sunday at Benton County Speedway.
A cousin of three of the youth remembered during the 10th annual event, hometown driver Tuttle led the distance of the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature, running just ahead or alongside Lukas Rick much of the 12-lapper.
“This is everything I’ve ever wanted. Winning that race is something I’ve wanted to do since I was 14,” Tuttle said following the $400 victory, his second of the season at The Bullring. “I got out of my car and the first thing I could do was grab my mom and give her the biggest hug I could. I cried a little bit. It just means the world to me.”
“I feel like I’m living our dream that they couldn’t do.”
Cristin Grady ended a distant third. Jeff Crabill was fourth and another cousin, Stephen Randall, rounded out the top five despite an ailing motor.
Tuttle is in his third season in the 4-cylinder class and has spent his Sundays at Benton County Speedway since he was little.
“Coming to the checkers, a lot of stuff was on my mind but all I could think was ‘Get yhere,’” he said. “I was just hoping I’d get there and once I did, I didn’t know what to do I was so excited.”
“I consider it my second home, my summer home. Everybody else goes to the swimming pool in the summer. I’m always at the race track,” he said.
Reynolds led start to finish of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Christie Door Company feature, earning $1,400 and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility.
Dustin Vis ran second the last 16 circuits and John Oliver Jr. took over third in the late going. Reynolds had also won the Hobby Stock feature in 2021 and the Stock Car feature at the 2022 event.
Ballard added the 2024 Urbana 5 trophy to a collection that included hardware from 2017 and 2020. He’d taken the lead just after midway of the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks presented by iHeart Radio feature that ended yellow-checkered because of inclement weather.
That win, good for $1,000, came ahead of Adam Streeter and Tucker Richardson.
Both the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod features were postponed to next Sunday.
Cole O’Brien collected the $350 INEX Legends presented by Legends.Direct checkers and $350.
Donations from Performance Bodies, Brett and Nicole Vanous and collected by drivers in a helmet pass totaled $823 and will be directed to the Iowa Donor Network.
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