Viking Speedway in Alexandria will run four weekly classes in 2021 — Wissota Modifieds, Wissota Super Stocks, Wissota Midwest Modifieds and Wissota Street Stocks. The Limited Late Models have been dropped from the weekly show at the big half mile.
I checked with Viking Speedway board member Justin Nieland and it was simply numbers game. Most nights Viking was in the single digits for Limited Late Model numbers in 2020. Madison Speedway adding them certainly impacted car counts; not picking on Madison but there weren’t enough limited lates to go around on Saturday night.
Viking is going to focus on its four weekly classes, which I as a fan like. The other good news for drivers is that thanks to sponsors, there will be a point fund in each class that pays to the top 10 in points in each class. That, to me, is a great incentive to race at Viking weekly.
As I’ve mentioned I’m not a fan of this running 7-8 classes every week. Four classes, especially competitive ones, help keep shows at a three-hour clip. One of the things I enjoyed about Viking was how many nights I was on the road by 9:30-9:45 last year. Justin Nieland doesn’t mess around in the flagstand. I can remember many, many times Viking pushed its curfew years ago and I didn’t get out of there til at least 10:45.
The Viking schedule has me intrigued. The Wissota Late Models are slated to make three appearances at Viking this summer and that should excite late model fans in the region. Sprint cars are part of the Memorial Day weekend doubleheader. The Advantage RV Tour returns as well in July and usually is a big-time race at Viking.
The season is capped off by the Fallen Lineman Race on Labor Day weekend.
The season opener is set for May 8.
Minn-Kota Lightning Sprint Schedule Taking Shape
I visited with Jason Berg about some area racing scene news the other day. He’s the owner/director of the Minn-Kota Lightning Sprints that run in the region. There are about 30 shows on the schedule; not all the paperwork has been signed so I won’t get specific in this blog (more on that later), but the class will appear at several RaceChaser-area tracks once again in 2021.
Berg is excited about the schedule and also excited that there are some new faces hopping in the lightning sprints in 2021.
I-94 Sure Step With a Busy Schedule
The I-94 Sure Step Speedway Schedule, likewise, has an intriguing schedule for 2021. The track is looking to open with a doubleheader on April 30-May 1; that always depends on weather, and if the government decides to keep these COVID-19 restrictions in place.
Super stocks will make a few appearances at I-94 but will not run weekly. There are a lot of nights that I’m excited about — NLRA late models, two stops of the Steffes Street Stock Tour, the Wissota Late Model Challenge Series, the Bob Gierke Memorial and the Dick Johanneck King of the Dirt. The season is also capped off by the Wissota 100 in September.
Big Schedule for NOSA Sprints
It is slated to be a busy summer for the NOSA Sprints. In addition to racing weekly at River Cities Speedway, the tour will go to Jackson Motorplex, I-90 Speedway in Hartford, S.D., Huset’s Speedway, Devils Lake Speedway and Jamestown.
USMTS Changes
I remember the days when the USMTS modifieds would make at least 2-3 appearances in the area — I-94 Sure Step, Viking, Red River Valley and Jamestown have all hosted those events in the past.
Well, car counts have dropped on the tour at a lot of stops, so the Staleys decided to change it up this year. Each show will pay at least $5,000 to win with several shows at $10,000 to win. Many had paid $2-3,000 to win in the past. And from what I’ve seen, there has been a lot of positive response about drivers who intend to follow the tour in 2021, including former Wissota 100 winner Landon Atkinson of Little Falls and Jesse Glenz, who finished third at the John Seitz Memorial last September.
The closest USMTS stop to Fargo-Moorhead will be on Wednesday, July 14 at Casino Speedway in Watertown, S.D.
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