By John Rittenhouse
A group of Rock County teens spent part of their summer vacation winning a team championship at a race track in South Dakota.
Representing Luverne, a team of 10 drivers ranging between the ages of 16-19 bested 15 other teams to win the Teen Days at Thunder Valley Raceways overall title in Marion, S.D.
With some of the kids driving the cars they would take to school this September, the Luverne team mixed it up on the track during four Sundays this summer.
The drivers would compete in different divisions, where they would earn points based on their performances (overall times).
The point standings were tallied from week to week, and the Luverne team came out on top in the standings with its effort on the last race day, Aug. 19.
"The kids were hoping to place first as a team, and they had a really good time getting there," said Charla Sandbulte, the mother of team members Jarrod and Michael Sandbulte.
Other team members include: Chad Smith, Ben Winkels, Brett Vander Vliet, Austin Hoiland, Eric Lammert, Derek Sandbulte, Lindsay Hup and Ryan Johnson.