Jimmy Kouba - Journal Archive

It looks like we'll have a White Christmas here in the Northland. After plowing through snow drifts for the last few days, and a fresh cold snap with single digits and teens for temps, it’s hard to imagine that the fluffy white stuff will disappear anytime soon. Given all that, I'm having a hard time recalling the sultry days of August and the final races of our 2003 season.

In reading my own website, I find that my last report came fresh off the heels of a long-awaited win at Huron, SD. We finished out the season with nine more races. Only 7 of those were WISSOTA events, as we traveled back in time for a nostalgic visit to Huset’s (Brandon, SD) twice. Three of the seven were at Brainerd, with the remainder taking place at some of our favorite venues: Fox Ridge, Princeton, Viking and Brown County.

Of our Brainerd dates, the first outing is one I'd rather forget (our unremarkable finish is but one of the reasons to let this memory fade), but the dual shows for the Mighty Axe Nationals were a great time. Both nights of the Mighty Axe started strong with a heat win each night. We pulled out a dash win the first night in very memorable fashion by running down and passing race leader John Nelson despite a start deep in the field. Both features were disappointing personally as I was shooting for the win. I fell short both times with good (but not grin worthy) finishes of a 3rd and 4th.

By far the most exciting night of the season was the race at Fox Ridge in Arcadia, WI. Team 2K had solid runs in the heat and the dash, by moving up to take a 2nd in both. The feature was an awesome run. We started in the second row and took 2nd place by mid-way into lap 2. While that was good, it gave Jerry Richert Jr. time to stretch a good lead and (worse) find a comfortable, fast groove. We were an even match early on, pacing Jerry throughout most of the race. But the last 3 laps were the best, we got a touch faster and Jerry's line starting slowing by just a nit. This put us within a car length. Before the white, I briefly pulled alongside, only to lose the edge just as quickly as I found it. But... with one lap to go, we dug deep and got a great run on Jerry down the back stretch. Jerry followed his high line into turn 3 and I dove low. With a drag race down the front straight we crossed the line for a photo-finish, truly. Neither of us knew who won so we both stopped in victory lane. Fox Ridge officials did not announce the winner until they checked the finish line camera (nice that they had one). And the winner was... Jerry Richert Jr. by two (2) inches (literally). What a night!!!

Princeton! I had been frustrated with my performance there the last 2 outings. The finishes were a 2nd and a 3rd, but still both times I felt like we left a win on the table, uncollected. This was the second race at Princeton this year; the first was Dad's memorial event. The heat went OK. We started mid-to-back in the grid and had worked up to 2nd (a dash transfer spot), but the great, aged one, Roger Rager suddenly found a fast line around the top and stole the spot on the last lap. Bummer! That put us mid-field for the feature on a track that doesn't give up passing opportunities easily. Rik Sanberg led the race from the git-go, but Jamie had our car dialed in. We passed cars and moved into second before I knew what happened. It took some help from lapped traffic to get Rik set-up, but when the opportunity was there I took it. Once in the lead, I could really open her up. By the end of the event I was nearly able to flat-foot it around the tight little bullring. We won our third feature of the season with plenty of room to spare. Smiles all around!!! Out of 5 races at Princeton we have 3 wins, a 2nd and a 3rd, making it by far my favorite place to race.

Our outings at Viking in Alexandria, MN and Brown County in Aberdeen, SD were respectable. At Viking I pulled my usual heat race finish (not good), putting us back a ways in the feature field. But at feature time we shined, moving up to challenge for 2nd near the end of the event. We settled for a 4th, but did not give in without a good wheel-to-wheel fight. Aberdeen's race was the reverse. We shined in the heat, winning by a comfortable margin, but (with the help of a bad redraw) struggled through the feature. The track had a complete afternoon show before the evening’s events started. The result was a tire-eating, rubbered up surface for our entire 25 laps. Although we loosened the car, it was still way too tight for the feature. We struggled to get and then hold a 6th place finish.

Well, that about wraps it up for 2003. By the stats, it was a good year. We finished 4th in WISSOTA national points. It was an odd-feeling year for me personally. But now, looking at my snow shovel, I'm thinking it was still a better use of time and money than a lot of other things. What's up for 2004???? Well, stayed tuned. You never know what we might come up with during the frigid winter months ahead!