Modified racing satisifies competitive spirit for Chyba

Austin Chyba is in his third year in a Wissota Modified, and he will be the first to admit there has been a lot to learn.

“The experience level is definitely a deficit,” Chyba said. “Everybody is that solid these days. You’ve got to really, really drive with two feet. The B mod, you can throttle a little more. These are so technical and there is no room for mistakes.”

The 27-year-old from Alexandria spent his first five seasons in a Wissota Midwest Modified. He picked up his first feature win on May 21, 2021 at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, part of three feature wins in the class.

“It took us 2-3 years to what we thought was competitive and fast in that (class),” Chyba said. “We’re not starting over, but we’re going through that same cycle. This being year three, with more experience, we’re getting there.”

The Wissota Modified class is stout at I-94 and Viking Speedways, with a bunch of veteran drivers capable of winning every night.

“The A mods, we have a very stout field of cars, when you win around here, it means something,” Chyba said.

Chyba’s jump to the Wissota Modifieds came with some guidance. His father, Jim, is his crew chief and raced in the class for many years in central Minnesota.

“I’ve been at a racetrack since I was a little kid,” Chyba said. “My grandpa drag-raced, dad dirt-track raced – that’s all we did growing up.”

After graduating from technical college in 2018, Chyba, who works as an electrical and controls engineer for BW Integrated Systems and has a side business called RavenWraps, hopped into a Wissota Midwest Modified.

It took a few years, but he broke into the win column in 2021. That year he had two wins and eight top five finishes. He followed that with another feature win, at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, Wis., in 2022 and had nine more top fives.

However, he wrecked his Shaw car towards the end of 2022, and the Chybas decided to jump to the Wissota Mods.

“We decided to give the A mod a shot, that was always the goal from the beginning,” Chyba said.

What is he looking for as a competitor in 2025?

“Obviously a win would be a big one for us,” Chyba said. “The goal is always to make the tech shed. If you can make the tech shed on any given night, it’s not a bad night.”

Throughout his school years, Chyba wrestled. He needed something to take its place competitively. Racing proved to be it.

 “I have a very competitive spirit. I wrestled from kindergarten through 12^th grade,” Chyba said. “This fills the void of being able to compete and be very devoted to something. Growing up, I had a love for (racing). I enjoy hunting and fishing, but there’s nothing that can really substitute for it for me.”

Driver Profile 

Austin Chyba

Wissota Modified #11X

Age: 27

Residence: Alexandria, Minn.

Sponsors: Jim’s Red Wing Mobile Shoes, RavenWraps, Josh’s Auto Body, The Trailer Center, Miltona Meats, Sparky’s BK Towing, Freies Septic, Brian Flaten Real-Estate-Century 21, Oberg Farms, Competitive Edge Motorsports, Barky’s Resort, Uno Insurance, Adams Automotive, Never Enough Show Clothing, Molitor Designs, JR1 Motorsports, VanderBuilt Race Cars, Eagle Lanes, Proline Powdercoating, Proline Property Solutions, Statema Backhoe