Governor Terry Branstad honored the man who designed and co-owns the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Wednesday, in a ceremony at the state capitol. Branstad signed a proclamation honoring Rusty Wallace during transportation day events.  “As a governor of Iowa, I am very proud to honor Rusty Wallace with this proclamation today. His many contributions to NASCAR racing have earned him a well-deserved induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. And his forward-thinking design of the Iowa Speedway helped to create a destination in central Iowa that benefits every Iowan,” Branstad said. Wallace responded “yes I do” when the governor asked him if he had anything to say.

“Thank you very much governor, I really appreciate this,” Wallace said. “I love the state of Iowa, I consider it like a second home of mine. I spent a lot of time up here, I’ve been able to have a lot of great friends and meet a lot of cool people — including you today.” Wallace talked with reporters after the public ceremony. “When I heard what the governor wanted to do I was really excited about it. I meant what I said, it’s like a second home to me,” Wallace said. “And to see the track be so successful and to have so many people show up all the time is a really good feeling. And to see the governor kind of honor me for that — and to honor the speedway for that — makes you feel good. And coming fresh out of being in the Hall of Fame with NASCAR, fresh out of a real successful speed week down in Daytona, and to come up here and get this proclamation — it’s just kind of like icing on the cake.”

Wallace was born in Missouri and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He says he doesn’t have a home in Iowa yet, but wouldn’t rule out that possibility some day.  “I could see a second home in Newton, a second home in the state of Iowa. Whether it’s in Des Moines or Newton, absolutely I could,” he said. The Iowa Speedway opened in 2007 and Wallace said it is very popular with drivers and he believes the track will get the chance to host a NASCAR cup race sometime in the next three to five year.

“I think that’s very realistic, I think that’s very realistic, I’d be disappointed if that didn’t happen. So, I will tell you there’s not a day goes by that we don’t actively work on that,” according the Wallace. “It’s a real tough deal because everybody knows NASCAR made a major announcement many years ago — it said we are only going to go 36 races — so if there’s going to be an additional race somebody’s go to get one from some other racetrack. So we are constantly working with other racetracks… and trying to get one of the events over here at Iowa Speedway.” Wallace went into broadcasting after retiring from racing, and works in television when not at the Newton track.

(Radio Iowa)

A couple of students at Iowa State University could be in trouble for sending some inflammatory messages via Twitter following the I-S-U men’s basketball team’s loss to sixth-ranked Kansas Monday night. The names of the two students are not being released, but ISU Dean of Students Pamela Anthony says the matter is being addressed. “We are initiating an investigation,” Anthony told Radio Iowa. “I am not at liberty to discuss any actions that have or would be taken against the students.”

Following the Cyclone’s loss in overtime, a tweet said the students were going to take a gun to the K-U bus. Additional tweets used the N-word and threatened Kansas guard Elijah Johnson, who scored a career high 39 points. “The language is not only derogatory and certainly goes against the values of Iowa State, but it’s threatening,” Anthony said. “We live in a society today where all threats have to be taken seriously.” Many Cyclone fans were upset with the officiating of the game and the Big 12 Conference issued a statement Tuesday admitting “officiating errors” were made at the end of regulation. Other fans booed when Johnson dunked the basketball for K-U’s final points in the lopsided overtime session. But, Anthony said the Twitter messages of the two ISU students went too far.

“I mean, it’s an athletic competition, so on some level you have to say, ‘wow, this is just athletics,'” Anthony said. “I understand school spirit and of course we all want to win, but I think to take it as far as to make a threat to another individual is quite serious and we take it as such.” It’s unclear what, if any, action has been or will be taken against the two students who sent the Twitter messages.

(Radio Iowa)

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Richard Carter scored 15 points and Seth VanDeest had 14 as Drake won its third straight game, defeating Indiana State 67-56 on Wednesday night. Jordan Clarke added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs (14-15, 7-10 Missouri Valley), and Ben Simons had 10 points and seven rebounds in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Indiana State (17-12, 9-8) got 13 points from Jake Odum, 12 from RJ Mahurin and 10 from Dawon Cummings. The Sycamores, who have a pair of wins this season over Top-25 programs (Wichita State and Creighton) and had been 7-1 at home in conference play, have lost four of their last five games.

Drake took control of the game with 11 straight points to close the first half, giving it a 27-21 lead at the break. Carter extended the margin to eight points with a layup to start the second half and the Bulldogs stretched the lead to as many as 15 points down the stretch.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Chelsea Poppens had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Nikki Moody added 12 points and 10 assists, and No. 23 Iowa State rolled to an 83-68 victory over Kansas on Wednesday night. Hallie Christofferson scored 20 points and Anna Prins had 19 for the Cyclones (20-6, 11-5 Big 12), who used a 13-0 second-half run to break open a close game. Iowa State outrebounded Kansas 43-29. Angel Goodrich had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Jayhawks (16-11, 7-9), and Monica Engelman scored 20 points.

The Jayhawks pulled within 60-57 on Asia Boyd’s layup with 11:04 to play, but Christofferson hit a 3-pointer to spark Iowa State’s 13-0 run and put the game out of reach. Poppens capped the run with two free throws, and Kansas never got closer than seven points down after that. Kansas still holds a 45-29 edge in the all-time series between the schools.

A tough schedule once again is paying off for Cedar Rapids Xavier at tournament time.

The fifth-ranked Saints, in the state tournament for the 10th time, kept their composure during a furious late rally by Lewis Central and held on to beat the seventh-ranked Titans 50-45 in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

Sarah Dickes sank four straight free throws in the final 19.7 seconds to secure the victory and finished with 13 points to lead Xavier. Ashley Stulken added 12, while Hayley Deutmeyer and Morgan Breitbach each scored eight.

Lewis Central’s Aubrey Norville scored 14 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter to lead her team’s comeback from an 11-point deficit with just under seven minutes left.

With the 6-foot-2 Stulken forced to play cautiously because of four fouls, Lewis Central got the ball inside to Norville and she responded with five baskets on nifty turnaround moves or jump hooks.

Norville’s final bucket cut the lead to 44-41 with 1:25 left, and teammate Paige Beacom made it a three-point game again, 46-43, when she hit a short jumper in the lane with 52 seconds remaining.

Lewis Central’s Natalie Madsen then stole the ball, but the Titans gave it back on a five-second call and Dickes made her game-clinching free throws.

Norville finished 10 of 13 from the field, grabbed five rebounds and made four steals. Beacom, Madsen and Alexis Spielman each scored five points for the Titans, who finish 20-4.

Xavier advances to a semifinal game at 8:30 Thursday night with a 15-9 record. The Saints play in the Mississippi Valley Conference and eight of their losses were to Class 5A teams. The other was to Davenport Assumption, which is ranked No. 1 in Class 3A.

A person with knowledge of the trade tells The Associated Press that the Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to acquire quarterback Alex Smith from San Francisco. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade does not become official until March 12, when the NFL’s new business year begins.

It’s the first big player move by Kansas City since Andy Reid took over as coach after being fired by Philadelphia.  Fox Sports first reported the deal.

Smith lost his starting job to Colin Kaepernick after sustaining a concussion Nov. 11. Kaepernick played well, and coach Jim Harbaugh stuck with him even when Smith was healthy.  Kaepernick led the 49ers to the NFC championship and a close loss to Baltimore in the Super Bowl.

w/ Jim Field

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Eighth-ranked Harlan began the Class 4A tournament with a come-from-behind victory over No. 3 Benton in a game that featured strong play on both sides.

Elle Kloewer scored 11 points and came up with three steals late in the game as the Cyclones won 52-42 to advance to the semifinals. Liz Riessen and 6-foot-1 sophomore Jess Schaben added 10 points for Harlan and Josie Esser scored nine.

Riessen grabbed eight rebounds, while Schaben, who has a promising career in both basketball and volleyball, pulled down six rebounds and made two steals.

Northern Iowa recruit Madison Weekly scored 11 points in her final game for Benton, adding five assists and five rebounds.

With crisp passing that led to layups or open jump shots, Benton scored the final 12 points of the first quarter to erase a 9-2 Harlan lead. The Bobcats stretched their lead to 18-12 before Harlan came back.

Riessen’s 3-pointer just ahead of the halftime buzzer tied the game at 22. Kloewer, a 5-8 sophomore, then showed her versatility at the start of the second half, posting up for a basket and knocking down a 3-pointer to put the Cyclones ahead 27-22. They led from then on but had to fight off the Bobcats almost the entire way to the end.

Benton drew to 41-40 on Sara Petrzelka’s two free throws with 3:42 left, but the Bobcats didn’t score again until 23.1 seconds remained and Harlan wrapped up the victory by making 11 of 14 free throws. Kloewer stymied Benton and created opportunities for her teammates by stealing the ball three times in the final 2:48.

Harlan, in the tournament for the 10th time, advances to a semifinal at 6:45 Thursday night with a 22-2 record. Benton finishes 21-3.