Local mayors to compete at Highland Speedway

  The fifth annual Laps for Leaps event is set for 7 p.m. on Sept. 25 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 26 at Highland Speedway.
    Among the weekend events will be celebrity drivers competing to accumulate the most laps during their designated hour.
    Ryan Hoerchler and Mike Kampwerth are among the celebrity drivers. Hoerchler is the Mayor of Bartelso, and Kampwerth is the Mayor of Aviston. Hoerchler will be competing at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. Kampwerth will compete at 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25.
    Kampwerth also will participate in the first master challenge hour, where the drivers will race in the opposite direction of the track. Drivers will turn right instead of left.
    Other celebrity drivers are Shawn Foles from the Highland Masonic Lodge 583, who will be driving at 9 a.m. Sept. 26; Zach Resmann from the Highland Jaycees, who will be driving at 1 p.m. Sept. 26; and Highland Mayor Kevin Hemann, who will be driving at 5 p.m. on Sept. 26.
   Laps for Leaps is organized by Leaps of Love, which is a Highland-based nonprofit organization that supports families impacted by childhood brain tumors and the long-term effects of childhood cancer.
   Laps for Leaps started in 2022. Drivers will compete to see who can complete the most laps in 24 hours. There will be 40 teams in this year's event. About half the teams are from Clinton County.
    The event will feature food trucks and a kids zone. In honor of America's 250th birthday, the event will blend a patriotic celebration with a powerful mission.
    There will be challenges on the track including parallel parking where all 40 teams will compete for one small parking spot within one hour, barrel racing, pole in one, all balls in, and Show N Shine.
    Grandstand admission for the event is $10 and children, 12 and under are free. Pit passes are $20 and are valid for all 24 hours.
    All proceeds from the event go to Leaps of Love.
    "This event is about endurance, not just on the track, but in the lives of the families we serve," Leaps of Love founder Traci (Riechmann) Holtmann said. "Childhood cancer changes everything, and Laps for Leaps is our way of showing these families that their community stands with them."