After almost two decades behind the wheel of a race car, Danny Bayer still enjoys being at the racetrack.
“I still like seeing everybody that I’ve come to know. It’s kind of a racing family that you get to be a part of it,” Bayer said. “My family likes it, my wife’s family likes it. My dad is still a big fan of it and likes owning and fielding a race car. And I still enjoy it.”
Bayer, from Elrosa, Minn., is the pilot of the #36 Wissota Modified that races at Viking Speedway and will be one of the competitors competing at the Race for Fallen Linemen this Saturday at the half-mile. He’s been in the class since 2010.
It was a trip to the go-kart track that sparked Bayer’s interest in racing.
“I started in go-karts when I was about 10, and that started with an acquaintance of ours,” Bayer said. “We went up and watched him one night and it took off from there.”
After getting his feet wet in the go-karts, Bayer hopped into a Wissota Midwest Modified as a 16-year-old in 2004.
Bayer had success in the Wissota Midwest Modified with five track championships He was the Viking Speedway track champion in 2006 and 2007 and also the KRA Speedway track champion during those years. He also won one at Fiesta City Speedway. Bayer won 11 midwest modified features at KRA Speedway from 2004-07. His biggest win in the Midwest Modified came at the Viking Fall Classic in 2007.
In 2010 he moved into the Wissota Modified class, and Bayer mentioned his first Wissota Mod wins at KRA Speedway and Viking as memorable.
“I do have wins in both (classes) – but never enough,” Bayer said. “It is tough.”
Bayer has raced five times in 2022, and has three top five finishes, including a win at Viking Speedway on May 29. He also had a feature win racing a limited schedule in 2021.
“Any mod win here is good,” Bayer said. “The cars are just phenomenal, and the drivers are really good. You’re always racing against good guys here.”
Bayer works for Bayer Truck and Equipment, which is his father, Mark’s, business. Between work and a busy family life – he and his wife Danielle have three children – he doesn’t race as often as years past. When he is at the track, his family is there with him cheering him on.
“Very much week to week,” Bayer said. “We’d like to race here and maybe do a little Fergus. I’m not chasing points or anything. We’re here to have some fun with my kids and keep them involved.”
Driver Profile
Danny Bayer
Wissota Modified #36
Residence: Elrosa, Minn.
Age: 34
Sponsors: Bayer Truck and Equipment, Mike Rasmussen Trucking, NAPA-Sauk Centre and Belgrade, Bayer Interior Woods, Bayer Trucking, McNeilius Steel,
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