NLRA Event Preview - Memorial Day Double-Header at Viking Speedway

The tenth addition of the traditional Memorial Day double-header takes place this Saturday Night, May the 23rd, and continues on Sunday Night, May the 24th, at the Viking Speedway in Alexandria, MN. These races are the first two of five scheduled events for the NLRA during the Viking Speedway's 50th year of racing at the half-mile oval on the Douglas County Fairgrounds. The races are scheduled to be the 35th and 36th appearances by the NLRA at Alexandria, which hosted its' first series race in 2003.

Winners in Alexandria last season included defending NLRA series champion Brad Seng, driver of the No. 12S S&S Transport MB Custom, who won on May 25th, Viking ace Jeff Wildung, driver of the No. 50 Veit Companies Rocket who on August 31, and the now three-time and defending Wissota champion Ricky Weiss, driver of the No. 7 Derrick’s Sandblasting Bloomquist who won on May 24th and August 30th. Seng will be looking to break his tie with the late great John Seitz atop the NLRA all time wins list. The pair are currently tied with 26 wins apiece. Wildung leads all drivers with eleven NLRA wins in Alexandria, while Zach Johnson, driver of the No. 73 Midwest Grain Systems Pierce, who is also a three-time Wissota national late model champion, is a seven-time NLRA winner at Viking. Besides Seng, Mike Balcaen, driver of the No. 10 Northstar Canada Black Diamond, is the only other active NLRA series regular with a victory at Viking, that coming back in 2004.

Two races have been run at the Viking Speedway so far this season with Ricky Weiss and Cody Skytland spitting the feature races run on May 9th. Weiss won the make-up feature postponed from May 2nd, with Skytland winning the second feature, both drivers came from the sixth position to win their respective features. The races begin at six o'clock both nights.

Previous NLRA Feature Winners at Viking Speedway:
2014 - Ricky Weiss on May 24; Brad Seng on May 25; Ricky Weiss on August 30; Jeff Wildung on August 31
2013 - Pat Doar on May 25; Zach Johnson on May 26; Zach Johnson on September 1
2012 - Zach Johnson on Sept. 1; Jeff Wildung on Sept. 2
2011 - Pat Doar on May 28; Joel Cryderman on May 29; Jeff Wildung on Sept. 3; Jeff Wildung on Sept. 4
2010 - Jeff Wildung on May 29; Zach Johnson on May 30; Jeff Wildung on Sept. 4; Zach Johnson on Sept. 5
2009 - Matt Aukland on May 23; Jeff Wildung on May 24
2008 - Justin Fegers on May 24; Zach Johnson on May 25; Zach Johnson on August 30; Jeff Wildung on August 31
2007 - Mitch Johnson on May 26; Mitch Johnson on May 27; Dave Mass on Sept. 1; Zach Johnson on Sept. 2
2006 - Mitch Johnson on May 27; Jeff Wildung on May 28
2005 - Mitch Johnson on May 29; Brad Seng on July 9; Jeff Wildung on August 27
2004 - Mike Balcaen on August 28
2003 - Jeff Wildung on May 31

Brad Seng (12S) and Jeff Wildung (50) racing door-to-door at the Viking Speedway during the Fall Classic last October. Photo courtesy of Mike Spieker.