By Phil Roberts
DAVENPORT, Iowa (March 30, 2003) - Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, and Ron Barker of Dubuque, Iowa, were the feature winners Sunday of the first racing of the season for the PolyDome Super Series, a World Dirt Racing League Touring Series.
The competition, rescheduled from Saturday due to wet track conditions resulting from showers a day or two earlier, took place at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds half-mile dirt Davenport Speedway. In addition to being WDRL's first race of 2003, the action was also the opening event of the speedway's busy season and the first race of the year in eastern Iowa.
Despite a cold, windy afternoon and even some snow flurries at times, there was a respectable crowd of race-hungry fans to watch the 45 Super Late Model and 20 Modified cars and drivers signed in.
Birkhofer, driver of the Wehrs Machine/Daufeldt Transport/Seubert Calf Ranches Special, won the 40-lap Super Late Model headliner. He was followed by Denny Eckrich, Tiffin, Iowa; Kyle Berck of Marquette, Neb.; Darren Miller, Chadwick, Ill.; and Skip Frey of Ely, Iowa.
Berck, the defending Super Late Model points champion of the World Dirt Racing League, led the first three laps of the main event. Then Miller led seven laps before Birkhofer, who had started third, took over on the first and second turns on lap 11.
Frey, one of the top six qualifiers for the feature, had started on the pole after winning the Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash.
"I've got a lot of excellent fans," Birkhofer said as he climbed out of his car amid cheers. "I wouldn't give them up for anything. I try to be a personal person -- not arrogant -- and treat everyone like I would want to be treated.
"I can't believe my success and my luck here," Birkhofer added, crediting a hard-running engine, his Mastersbilt chassis and the dedicated people who show up to work on his car when he races close to home.
"I was kind of getting lenient in lapped traffic," he said, noting that Denny Eckrich was catching up with him at the end of the race. "And I probably almost let it cost me (the win). But I was kind of getting tight on corner entry, and I had to move around a little bit and a couple of those guys were messing around."
Super Late Model heat races went to Birkhofer; Miller; Eckrich; Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Neb.; and Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark. Winning consolations were John Anderson of Omaha, Neb., and Rob Toland of Moline, Ill.
Barker, who piloted the Norpack/Midwest Meats Special, was followed under the checkers in the Modified 20-lapper by Terry Lawson, New Liberty, Iowa; Mel Saffron, Dubuque, Iowa; Rick Hixson, Orion, Ill.; and Robbie Verbeck, Sheffield, Ill.
Lawson led five laps before Barker took over.
"It was my type of track," Barker said. "This was a brand new car, but it really worked well."
He noticed something on the car in Victory Lane: "I see a broken right front shock, so we had some luck with us we carried over from last year," he said.
Barker won the first of two Modified heat races. Richie Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, took the second.
Modifieds were a regular part of the World Dirt Racing League in 2002, and Barker won that division's 2002 points championship and most of the events run.
Due to a recent schedule change, the next events -- both 50-lappers -- of WDRL's PolyDome Super Series will be on Saturday, May 24, at Adams County Speedway, Corning, Iowa, and Sunday, May 25, at Nebraska Raceway Park, Greenwood, Neb.
RESULTS
Super Late Models
First heat:
1. Darren Miller, Chadwick, Ill.
2. Tim Marsden, Hillsdale, Ill.
3. Matt Furman, Iowa City, Iowa
Second heat:
1. Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Neb.
2. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa
3. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.
Third heat:
1. Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
2. Kyle Berck, Marquette, Neb.
3. Dave Eckrich, Oxford, Iowa
Fourth heat:
1. Denny Eckrich, Tiffin, Iowa
2. Toby Patchen, Isanti, Minn.
3. Ace Ihm, Hazel Green, Wis.
Fifth heat:
1. Brian Birkhofer, Muscatine, Iowa
2. Skip Frey, Ely, Iowa
3. Tim Hamburg, Dixon, Ill.
First consolation:
1. John Anderson, Omaha, Neb.
2. Tim Lance, Mapleton, Ill.
3. Johnny Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa
Second consolation:
1. Rob Toland, Moline, Ill.
2. Brian Harris, Davenport, Iowa
3. Billy Tuckwell, Peoria, Ill.
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash:
1. Frey
2. Berck
4. Birkhofer
Feature (40 laps):
1. Birkhofer
2. Denny Eckrich
3. Berck
4. Miller
5. Frey
6. Anderson
7. Troy Kuyoth, Stratford, Wis.
8. Kerry Hansen, Spencer, Wis.
9. Ed Kosiski, Ralston, Neb.
10. Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Neb.
11. Dave Eckrich, Oxford, Iowa
12. Lance
13. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.
14. Ihm
15. Tim Hamburg, Dixon, Ill.
16. Rob Toland, Moline, Ill.
17. Patchen
18. Donnie McClellan, Grant City, Mo.
19. Furman
20. Harris
21. Johnny Johnson
22. Marsden
23. Moyer
24. Tuckwell
25. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa
26. Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, Ill.
Modfieds
First heat:
1. Ron Barker, Dubuque, Iowa
2. Terry Lawson, New Liberty, Iowa
3. Mike Garland, Morrison, Ill.
Second heat:
1. Richie Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa
2. Mel Saffron, Dubuque, Iowa
3. Jason Schueller, Morrison, Iowa
Feature (20 laps):
1. Barker
2. Lawson
3. Saffron
4. Rick Hixson, Orion, Ill.
5. Robbie Verbeck, Sheffield, Ill.
6. Johnny Spaw, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
7. Schueller
8. Kurt Kile, Nichols, Iowa
9. Mark Schulte, Delhi, Iowa
10. Josh Hamann, Viola, Ill.
11. Bob Dominacki, Bettendorf, Iowa
12. Milo Veloz, Colona, Ill.
13. Mike Garland, Morrison, Ill.
14. Gustin
15. Jim Sandusky, Coal Valley, Ill.
16. Rich Smith, Davenport, Iowa
17. Jason Bahrs, Colona, Ill.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (March 30, 2003) - Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, and Ron Barker of Dubuque, Iowa, were the feature winners Sunday of the first racing of the season for the PolyDome Super Series, a World Dirt Racing League Touring Series.
The competition, rescheduled from Saturday due to wet track conditions resulting from showers a day or two earlier, took place at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds half-mile dirt Davenport Speedway. In addition to being WDRL's first race of 2003, the action was also the opening event of the speedway's busy season and the first race of the year in eastern Iowa.
Despite a cold, windy afternoon and even some snow flurries at times, there was a respectable crowd of race-hungry fans to watch the 45 Super Late Model and 20 Modified cars and drivers signed in.
Birkhofer, driver of the Wehrs Machine/Daufeldt Transport/Seubert Calf Ranches Special, won the 40-lap Super Late Model headliner. He was followed by Denny Eckrich, Tiffin, Iowa; Kyle Berck of Marquette, Neb.; Darren Miller, Chadwick, Ill.; and Skip Frey of Ely, Iowa.
Berck, the defending Super Late Model points champion of the World Dirt Racing League, led the first three laps of the main event. Then Miller led seven laps before Birkhofer, who had started third, took over on the first and second turns on lap 11.
Frey, one of the top six qualifiers for the feature, had started on the pole after winning the Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash.
"I've got a lot of excellent fans," Birkhofer said as he climbed out of his car amid cheers. "I wouldn't give them up for anything. I try to be a personal person -- not arrogant -- and treat everyone like I would want to be treated.
"I can't believe my success and my luck here," Birkhofer added, crediting a hard-running engine, his Mastersbilt chassis and the dedicated people who show up to work on his car when he races close to home.
"I was kind of getting lenient in lapped traffic," he said, noting that Denny Eckrich was catching up with him at the end of the race. "And I probably almost let it cost me (the win). But I was kind of getting tight on corner entry, and I had to move around a little bit and a couple of those guys were messing around."
Super Late Model heat races went to Birkhofer; Miller; Eckrich; Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Neb.; and Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark. Winning consolations were John Anderson of Omaha, Neb., and Rob Toland of Moline, Ill.
Barker, who piloted the Norpack/Midwest Meats Special, was followed under the checkers in the Modified 20-lapper by Terry Lawson, New Liberty, Iowa; Mel Saffron, Dubuque, Iowa; Rick Hixson, Orion, Ill.; and Robbie Verbeck, Sheffield, Ill.
Lawson led five laps before Barker took over.
"It was my type of track," Barker said. "This was a brand new car, but it really worked well."
He noticed something on the car in Victory Lane: "I see a broken right front shock, so we had some luck with us we carried over from last year," he said.
Barker won the first of two Modified heat races. Richie Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, took the second.
Modifieds were a regular part of the World Dirt Racing League in 2002, and Barker won that division's 2002 points championship and most of the events run.
Due to a recent schedule change, the next events -- both 50-lappers -- of WDRL's PolyDome Super Series will be on Saturday, May 24, at Adams County Speedway, Corning, Iowa, and Sunday, May 25, at Nebraska Raceway Park, Greenwood, Neb.
RESULTS
Super Late Models
First heat:
1. Darren Miller, Chadwick, Ill.
2. Tim Marsden, Hillsdale, Ill.
3. Matt Furman, Iowa City, Iowa
Second heat:
1. Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Neb.
2. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa
3. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.
Third heat:
1. Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
2. Kyle Berck, Marquette, Neb.
3. Dave Eckrich, Oxford, Iowa
Fourth heat:
1. Denny Eckrich, Tiffin, Iowa
2. Toby Patchen, Isanti, Minn.
3. Ace Ihm, Hazel Green, Wis.
Fifth heat:
1. Brian Birkhofer, Muscatine, Iowa
2. Skip Frey, Ely, Iowa
3. Tim Hamburg, Dixon, Ill.
First consolation:
1. John Anderson, Omaha, Neb.
2. Tim Lance, Mapleton, Ill.
3. Johnny Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa
Second consolation:
1. Rob Toland, Moline, Ill.
2. Brian Harris, Davenport, Iowa
3. Billy Tuckwell, Peoria, Ill.
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash:
1. Frey
2. Berck
4. Birkhofer
Feature (40 laps):
1. Birkhofer
2. Denny Eckrich
3. Berck
4. Miller
5. Frey
6. Anderson
7. Troy Kuyoth, Stratford, Wis.
8. Kerry Hansen, Spencer, Wis.
9. Ed Kosiski, Ralston, Neb.
10. Joe Kosiski, Omaha, Neb.
11. Dave Eckrich, Oxford, Iowa
12. Lance
13. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.
14. Ihm
15. Tim Hamburg, Dixon, Ill.
16. Rob Toland, Moline, Ill.
17. Patchen
18. Donnie McClellan, Grant City, Mo.
19. Furman
20. Harris
21. Johnny Johnson
22. Marsden
23. Moyer
24. Tuckwell
25. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa
26. Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, Ill.
Modfieds
First heat:
1. Ron Barker, Dubuque, Iowa
2. Terry Lawson, New Liberty, Iowa
3. Mike Garland, Morrison, Ill.
Second heat:
1. Richie Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa
2. Mel Saffron, Dubuque, Iowa
3. Jason Schueller, Morrison, Iowa
Feature (20 laps):
1. Barker
2. Lawson
3. Saffron
4. Rick Hixson, Orion, Ill.
5. Robbie Verbeck, Sheffield, Ill.
6. Johnny Spaw, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
7. Schueller
8. Kurt Kile, Nichols, Iowa
9. Mark Schulte, Delhi, Iowa
10. Josh Hamann, Viola, Ill.
11. Bob Dominacki, Bettendorf, Iowa
12. Milo Veloz, Colona, Ill.
13. Mike Garland, Morrison, Ill.
14. Gustin
15. Jim Sandusky, Coal Valley, Ill.
16. Rich Smith, Davenport, Iowa
17. Jason Bahrs, Colona, Ill.
