CRESCO, Iowa -- Racing Promoters of the Midwest (RPM) along with the Howard County Fairboard will co-promote the North East Iowa Dirt Tour at Cresco Speedway Wednesday, June 23, 2004. Modifieds will headline the racing action. The modifieds will race for $1,000 to win and $100 to start the A-Main.

Wednesday, June 23, 2004 will mark the opening day of the Mighty Howard County Fair, and the NEI Dirt Tour will return for its third year as the first day’s entertainment on the four-tenths mile dirt oval.

"This should be another great night of racing," RPM member Chris Marchese stated. "Each year the racing has been two and three wide at Cresco, and with $1000 up for grabs, we should see some great race teams that night."

Rules for the Modified are just about the same as they were in 2003. McCreary American Racer tires, G-60 (KK704) will be the tire used for this event. All NEI Dirt Tour Mods must weigh a minimum of 2450 pounds with driver in seat. Aluminum Heads will be allowed as long as 50 pounds of weight has been bolted to the car's frame in front of the bell housing. Overall weight is still 2450. A maximum of three inch spoilers will also legal for this race on June 23rd.

"We will only race two races in 2004," RPM member Bucky Doren said. "We had hoped for four dates, but there were a lot of races in North East Iowa. It made it difficult find a date that worked for the tracks and us."

"Chris and I wanted to try and see what type of car count and fans we would get with a larger purse," Doren commented about the new pay scale. "Both shows this year will pay $1,000 to win and $100 to start the A-Main. If this works well, we might be able to grow this thing a little more."

"There has been some interest from a few tracks outside of the North East Iowa area,” added Doren. “This is something we are looking at in 2005."

The NEI Dirt Tour’s “Charity Cup” will be the second race of 2004. The Benton County Speedway in Vinton, IA will again host this fund raiser on Saturday, September 18, 2004. The charity for 2004 has not yet been determined.

To learn more about the NEI Dirt Tour, log on to www.RaceRPM.com/tour.