Carrie Underwood’s single “Church Bells” tops the Billboard and Mediabase Country charts this week, giving Carrie her 24th career #1 song. “Church Bells” also achieved international success, spending two weeks at #1 on Canada’s Mediabase Country Airplay chart and three weeks at #1 on Australia’s Country Airplay chart.
The iconic Billy Bob’s honky tonk in Fort Worth, Texas, will host an all-star concert next week to benefit families of the five Dallas law enforcement officers who were shot and killed in an attack on July 7. According to WFAA-TV, the “Stars Behind the Stars” concert will be held on Wednesday, July 27 and will include performances from Tanya Tucker, The Oak Ridge Boys and The Bellamy Brothers. 2016 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Randy Travis is also expected to make a special appearance during the show.
Jimmie Johnson has joined Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Junior, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Kyle and Kurt Busch, and rookie Chase Elliott on the list of drivers newly eligible for next year’s Sprint Unlimited non-points special event as a result of their qualifying efforts in 2016. The non-points special event features pole winners from the previous season and traditionally kicks off Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. Johnson earned the Number-1 starting spot for this past weekend’s race in New Hampshire with a lap of 133.971 miles per hour. He finished twelfth in Sunday’s race … Next stop in the Sprint Cup Series is this coming Sunday’s Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
On this day in 2004, Tim McGraw‘s “Live Like You Were Dying” made it three straight weeks on top of the charts. The song was the lead single from the album Live Like You Were Dying, and spent seven weeks atop of the charts.
“Live Like You Were Dying” would go on to win the Single of the Year and Song of the year at the 2004 CMA Awards and the 2004 ACMA Awards.
The song has been Certified Double Platinum.
Miranda Lambert has been hinting that her new single would be “Vice,” and now she’s confirmed the news. Lambert is set to release “Vice” to country radio this week. The new song is the lead single from Miranda’s forthcoming sixth studio album, Records I Never Heard.
The Oskaloosa Indians won a wild Class 3A District 11 Final, 10-6, by defeating Williamsburg at home on Monday night.
The game was back-and-forth throughout, with the momentum swinging to both teams in big ways.
Oskaloosa scored three runs in the top of the second to take a 3-1 lead following RBI hits by Tucker Nunnikhoven, Rian Yates, and Joe Sterner at the bottom of the Indian order. Osky was the visiting team despite hosting the game at the Lacey Recreation Complex due to Williamsburg having the higher seed at the end of the season. The game was at Lacey due to standing water on the infield of the high school diamond.
In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Oskaloosa Head Coach Clint Gingerich lifted starter Rian Yates to bring in Bennett Spry in relief. That inning was rough for Yates and Spry, as a batter reached on an error, five Raider batters drew walks, and five runs scored on just one hit in the inning.
After the tough sequence, Oskaloosa found themselves behind 6-3 with all the momentum in the Raider dugout.
That all changed in the 4th, however, as the Indians came right back. Again, Nunnikhoven and Yates came through with RBI hits to tie the game at 6, and Spry drove in the run that would put the Indians up for good on a single up the middle.
Osky would plate three runs in the 7th on a double by Ethan Arnold.
While the Indians built their lead, Nick Harrington and Joe Sterner would combine for four and a third innings of relief. Harrington would allow two hits and one walk while striking out three in one and a third innings, while Sterner would pitch the final two and two thirds innings. The senior would allow no hits while striking out five and only allowing three walks.
The win puts Osky’s record at 24-10 on the season and they advance to the Substate 6 Final in Class 3A where they will face their archrival Pella. Winner of that contest will advance to the State Baseball Tournament at Principal Park in Des Moines.
That game is Wednesday at 7 PM. You can hear the action on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com with the pregame starting at 6:45 PM.
Story provided by Angie Holland
OSKALOOSA, Iowa (July 17) — The long-awaited return of the world’s fastest and most exciting Modifieds happens this Tuesday, July 19, when the USMTS Casey’s Cup returns to the Southern Iowa Speedway for one gigantic night of racing at the Mahaska County Monster.
Back by popular demand, the fire-breathing USMTS Modifieds will battle for a $3,000 top prize while every feature race starter will earn at least $250 in the 11th Annual USMTS Summer Classic.
The tripleheader event will also showcase the Iron Man Series featuring Holley USRA Stock Cars ($750 to win) and Out-Pace USRA B-Mods ($600 to win).
Thanks to a special mystery sponsor, all Stock Car and B-Mod drivers who have earned track points in 2016 at the Southern Iowa Speedway will have their entry fee paid in full!
Gates open at 5:00 with hot laps at 6:45 and racing at 7:00.
Adult general admission tickets are $20, kids age 11-6 are $10 and children 10 and under get in for FREE.
Race fans can save $2 on adult grandstand admission by picking up discount coupons at Casey’s General Stores locations in Eddyville, Fremont, New Sharon, Oskaloosa and Pella. Visit www.caseys.com to find the location nearest you.
As the only dual-regional event on the calendar this season, fans will see the Best of the Best from both the RealTruck.com Northern Region and MSD Central Region.
Drivers expected include defending series champion and current points leader Jason Hughes of Watts, Okla., plus many more including Jesse Sobbing, Cade Dillard, Dereck Ramirez, Daniel Hilsabeck, Mike Jergens, Joe Duvall, Johnny and Stormy Scott, Rodney Sanders, Zack VanderBeek, Jacob Bleess, Dan Ebert, Lucas Schott, Jett and Masen Big Eagle, Mike Densberger and more!
To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usmts, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usmts and Instagram atwww.instagram.com/usmts or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/usmtstv.
On this day in 1991, Alan Jackson‘s album Don’t Rock the Jukebox was certified Gold. The album was Jackson’s second studio album and produced five singles. Four of those singles, “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”, “Someday”, “Dallas”, and “Love’s Got a Hold on You”, all reached number-one on the charts.
The fifth single from the album, “Midnight in Montgomery”, was an ode to Hank Williams, and reached #3 on the charts.
Don’t Rock the Jukebox peaked at #17 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and #2 on the Top Country Albums. As of 1995, the album is certified 4 x Platinum by the RIAA.
Matt Kenseth saved his best for last Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, snatching the lead from teammate Denny Hamlin thirty-one laps from the finish and keeping the Number-20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in front the rest of the way in posting his second win of the season and the thirty-eighth of his career. The margin of victory was two seconds over runner-up Tony Stewart. Joey Logano came home in third place with Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle completing the top five. Pole sitter Jimmie Johnson led only the first lap and finished twelfth. Sunday’s race was a day of domination for Toyota. The manufacturer led all but two of the 301 laps contested on the one-mile Loudon oval including a race-high 133 by Kyle Busch on the way to an eighth-place finish. He was seeking a weekend sweep after winning Saturday’s X-FINITY Series race. Busch dominated the early stages Sunday, leading all but fourteen of the first hundred laps. Martin Truex Junior was strong, running out front for 123 laps before a broken shifter and clutch problems forced him off the pace. He came out of New England with a sixteenth-place finish … The only non-Toyota drivers to lead Sunday’s race were Johnson and Brad Keselowski – who each led one lap on the way to finishes of twelfth and fifteenth, respectively … 23-year-old Alex Bowman placed twenty-sixth in the Number-88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He was subbing for Dale Earnhardt Junior, who sat out Sunday’s race with concussion-like symptoms after recent crashes at Michigan and Daytona. Earnhardt’s status for next weekend’s race at Indianapolis is uncertain … Sunday’s race included thirteen lead changes among six drivers.
