Boelens Striving for Improvement in Tough Wissota Mod Class at Viking

Competing for feature in the Wissota Modified class weekly at Viking Speedway in Alexandria is difficult. The division features several drivers each week who are capable of winning.

Blake Boelens of Brandon is in his second full season in the Wissota Modifieds, and third overall, in the class and sees the competition firsthand.

“There’s a lot of good guys in this class, a lot of guys who’ve moved up from B mods,” Boelens said.

The challenge is to find a way to compete at Viking, and this year, that hasn’t been easy for the 32-year-old. He has two top 10 finishes in 13 starts overall this season.

“If we could figure the car out it would be better,” Boelens said. “We’re kind of struggling right now and trying different things.”

Boelens returned to the track this summer after taking the 2022 season off.

“We were building a shop at home, and we focused on doing that for the year,” Boelens said.

Boelens came to the track to watch racing as a child and that sparked the interest in driving. Starting racing came down to having the financial capability of doing so, which led him into the Wissota Midwest Modified class.

“I got a good job, and I could afford it,” Boelens said.

He’s in his ninth year of racing, and he started in the Wissota Midwest Modified class. He compiled four feature wins in the mid mods; his first win came at Viking Speedway.

“We made All the Dirt. That was pretty cool,” Boelens said. “We had a bunch of hard luck all year that year, and I actually wasn’t going to race that Saturday, but Chris Mensen said don’t give up, keep trying. We came out and ended up winning.”

On the top of Boelens’s 15X machine is a Back the Blue flag, which is a tribute to law enforcement. There’s a red line on the car in tribute to his girlfriend, Melissa Vikesland, who serves on the Garfield Fire Department.

“We appreciate what those guys do for everybody,” Boelens said.

While the results haven’t been what Boelens has wanted them to be, he isn’t giving up.

“Try to go forward,” Boelens said. “We’ve gone backwards a lot this year. It’s been frustrating. But if you don’t keep trying, you aren’t going to get nowhere.”

Like many, the people are what make racing enjoyable for Boelens.

“I like all the friends you meet, and your racing family. You become close with a lot of people,” Boelens said. “The atmosphere at the track is fun.”

Driver Profile

Blake Boelens

Wissota Modified #15

Residence: Brandon, Minn.

Age: 32

Sponsors: Blake Boelens Trucking, Garfield Fire Department, Lakes Area Jet Ski Rental, Lakes Area Painting, Auto Value parts of Alexandria, Hair by Tara, Ascheman Farms, Schauer Dock and Lift