8/31/03
Cresco Speedway
Cresco, IA
IRA
35 cars
Brian Brown (17th car out to time) set a new track record in time trials with a lap of 13.485 seconds. Colin Northway (19th car out) was second quick, followed by Skip Jackson (8th), Ricky Logan (1st), Kerry Madsen (last), Brooke Tatnell (10th), Joe Roe (4th), Steve Meyer (5th), Scotty Neitzel (20th) and Travis Whitney (26th). Wayne Modjeski, Ty Bartz and Madsen only received one lap due to mechanical problems. Joe Symoens was unable to get a time in. Kim Mock was not on the premises, but his car was entered and did not run. Tatnell was again driving the Cox 50D.
Heat one (started): 1. Neitzel 2w (4) 2. Bill Warren 95 (1) 3. Jerry Richert Jr. 45 (2) 4. Brown 6 (6) / 5. John Haeni 21J (3) 6. Ryan Irwin 49 (8) 7. Dave Uttech 68 (7) 8. Madsen 82 (5)
Eight lap heats were inverted six and took four to the feature. Neitzel was impressive and jumped all over Warren. After a few bids to get around him, he finally made his winning move in turn four on the last lap. Brown used a slider of Madsen on lap three to gain the final transfer. Madsen slowed with a flat on the final lap after running fifth most of the way.
Heat two (started): 1. Raymond Hensley 7D (2) 2. Whitney 9 (4) 3. Northway 60 (6) 4. Tatnell 50D (5) / 5. Todd King 97 (1) 6. Jason Johnson 44 (3) 7. Darrell Dodd 11 (7) 8. Scott Uttech 54 (8) DNS - Symoens 96
Hensley led the distance. Northway looked scary fast on the racey surface, while Tatnell passed King with two to go to gain the final transfer. S. Uttech was in his father Jim's car.
Heat three (started): 1. Kurt Winker 48H (2) 2. Mike Reinke 02 (3) 3. Jackson 21 (6) 4. John Sernett 91 (1) / 5. Scott Biertzer 4B (4) 6. Joe Roe 61 (5) 7. Joe Kouba 55 (8) 8. Mike Stefka 35s (7) DNS - Mock 1m
Winker led flag to flag. Jackson and Sernett put on a great battle with Jackson grabbing third late after trying Sernett low and then riding the rim around him. Stefka bowed out early.
Heat four (started): 1. Todd Hepfner 28 (2) 2. Logan 17G (6) 3. Mike Kertscher 80K (3) 4. Meyer 85m (5) / 5. Brian Kristan 5 (1) 6. Kurt Davis 6K (4) 7. Tim St. Arnold 7s (8) 8. Wayne Modjeski 77 (7) DNS - Bartz 75
Polesitter Kristan led early, but was passed by Hepfner on the second circuit. Logan was moving up nicely. Kristan suffered problems late as he slowed and Meyer took advantage, passing him high in the last corner for the fourth and final transfer. St. Arnold was piloting the only 360 in competition.
B main (started): 1. Madsen (1) 2. Roe (2) 3. Haeni (5) 4. Dodd (10) 5. Davis (4) 6. Johnson (6) / 7. King (7) 8. Biertzer (3) 9. Modjeski (12) 10. D. Uttech (9) 11. Irwin (13) 12. Kouba (15) 13. S. Uttech (14) 14. St. Arnold (16) 15. Bartz (17) 16. Stefka (11) 17. Kristan (8) DNS - Symoens, Mock
Madsen led early, but was passed by Roe on lap four. Madsen returned the favor and checked out. A lap eight restart for a stopped Kristan would bunch things up. Madsen led Roe, Haeni, Biertzer, King and Dodd back to the green. Davis and Johnson would enter a battle for the final transfers with King and Biertzer. Johnson came on strong late and wrestled into fifth. Davis would pass him in the last corner, but both would transfer. Dodd moved up well from his fifth row starting spot.
A main (started): 1. Logan (1) 2. Jackson (2) 3. Tatnell (10) 4. Northway (3) 5. Madsen (11) 6. Hensley (7) 7. Hepfner (5) 8. Winker (6) 9. Neitzel (8) 10. Roe (12) 11. Kertscher (18) 12. Richert (19) 13. Warren (18) 14. Haeni (15) 15. Dodd (22) 16. Meyer (9) 17. Johnson (16) 18. Davis (14) 19. Whitney (13) 20. Reinke (17) 21. Brown (4) 22. Sernett (21)
Logan would lead the distance of the 25 lapper and was never seriously challenged in his second straight Cresco IRA triumph. Whitney was in the top five (from row 7) early on. A caution came out for Brown who came to a stop while running in the top ten on lap 16. He retired to the pits. At the time, Logan was leading Jackson, Northway, Hepfner, Whitney, Tatnell and Madsen back to the green flag. Tatnell began to surge, shooting off the bottom in turn two and worked under Whitney, Hepfner and Northway before a lap 23 stop by Whitney bunched the field. Logan led Jackson, Tatnell, Northway, Madsen and Hepfner back to the green, white checker finish. They would finish in that order, other than the "Wild Thing" getting by Hepfner for sixth. Madsen came within inches of fourth at the stripe. Seven was lucky for some as Tatnell, Kertscher, Richert and Dodd all moved up seven spots.