Racing a family bond for Parkers Prairie’s Hellermans

For more than 30 years, there has been at least one Hellerman on the racetrack at Viking Speedway in Alexandria.

It started with Bryan Hellerman of Parkers Prairie, who began racing in the Sportsman class in the early 1990s; he’s been a fixture in the Wissota Super Stock class ever since.  For a while, his children, Ben and Brooke Hellerman, shared a Wissota Midwest Modified fpr a few years; Brooke is now entering her 22^nd season behind the wheel of the 2H.

“People and entertainment -- it’s fun coming down and getting away from the farm,” Bryan Hellerman said. “My kids got involved and it escalated from there.”

“It’s something he always did. As a family, we were always going to the track, and getting the cars ready, even as young kids,” Brooke Hellerman said. “Everyone of us had jobs, straightening out sheet metal, vacuuming the cockpit, getting tearoffs ready. I wouldn’t have decided whether I wanted to race cars without his influence. That’s so much of it.”

Bryan Hellerman, 60, got his start in the Sportsman class (see picture above, driving the #60 car in a photo from a 1992 Viking Speedway program), which preceded the Wissota Super Stocks at Viking Speedway. He is pictured from an old Viking Speedway program in 1992 driving the #60 machine. He soon moved into the Wissota Super Stock class and has raced his familiar 2H at Viking and other tracks in the region.

While was racing, his children were itching to get behind the wheel.

“He and I would come up and watch the races, and I kept pestering him to the point where he bought a B mod for Ben and I to share,” Brooke said. “I had a race car before I had a street car.”

Bryan Hellerman moved into the Wissota Super Stocks and has been a solid competitor in the class. Even though he doesn’t race as often these days (6-8 nights a summer), he had a feature win as recent as 2023. One of the reasons he’s stayed in the class – the rules haven’t varied much over the years.

“There’s really no rule changes, probably since ’94,” Bryan said.  “Things might have changed a little bit but nothing out of the ordinary. The motors are all the same.”

Brooke Hellerman has raced in the mid mods at mainly Viking and I-94 EMR Speedways during her career. She has one career feature win, which came in 2017 during Memorial Day weekend.  That night, there were 34 Wissota Midwest Modifieds in attendance. The Midwest modified feature, which had 24 cars, went caution-free.

“I had bought a new car the year before, and we had just built a new engine. I felt the pieces were finally together for me,” Brooke said. “Everything clicked into place. It was a little surreal. You don’t realize it in the moment what’s going on. The whole race seemed to go really quick for me. “

This year, Brooke has switched to an orange car, a tribute to Bryan’s super stocks in 1994 and 2006; otherwise they’ve been red. The family number has remained the same: 2H.

These days, the Hellermans don’t race all that often – Brooke raced nine times in 2025 and Bryan seven – because of farming and family activities.  But they also enjoy the trips to the track.

“It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing. I still like racing the Midwest modifieds and dad still enjoys his super stocks,” Brooke said.

“The smell of the fuel, the noise and the crowd,” Bryan said of what he enjoys about racing. “It’s awesome. It’s nice to have friends and family come here and get together. “

Driver Profiles

Brooke Hellerman

Wissota Midwest Modified #2H

Age: 38

Residence: Parkers Prairie, Minn.

Sponsors: Jitters Java Cafe - Sauk Centre, Barge Boyz – Miltona, Central MN Realty Fatima Holm – Alexandria, Wrigley Mechanical – Fargo,  RBS Excavating- Parkers Prairie, Blue Rose Taxidermy – Alexandria, Pillar to Post Voyager Team - Battle Lake, Stalker Lake Golf Course – Dalton, Bullet Lawn Care – Alexandria, Advanced Fire Training and Asbestos Inspections - Miltona

Bryan Hellerman

Wissota Super Stock #2H

Age: 60

Residence: Parkers Prairie, Minn.

Sponsors: Jitters Java Cafe - Sauk Centre, Bob’s Concrete Pumping - Fargo, Klinder Processing – Carlos, Unique Paint Body Trim - Parkers Prairie, Simonson Lumber, QXO – Alexandria, RBS Excavating - Parkers Prairie, Bullet Lawn Care – Alexandria, Park Place Wash & Vac - Parkers Prairie