Mike Balcaen celebrates 30 years of racing

He’s a fan favorite most everywhere he goes. It could stem from his ability to win races, or it could be because of his friendly Canadian demeanor, but whatever the reason he’s been doing it for longer than I’ve been alive.  Mike Balcaen, driver of the #10 NLRA/WISSOTA Late Model, is racing head on into his 30^th year of racing. In those 30 years, the Winnipeg native has won 37 Championship, 4 NLRA titles, and over 200 wins, making Balcaen one of the most decorated Late Model racers in the upper Midwest.

When it comes down to race day, Mike says he approaches it more like a work day. “Preparation is a big part of it. We spend tons of hours getting prepared for 15 minutes of racing. When you’re organized and your stuff is maintained it makes for a more enjoyable time than if you’re scattering around and you’re not prepared.” Wise words spoken by a true veteran.  Mike isn’t afraid to give out advice to younger racers eithes. Last week in Ada, he was found giving advice to some younger, rookie drivers in between races. He’s a role model to many young drivers, including his 21 year old daughter Amber, who’s been racing Lightning  Sprints for a handful of years and recently made her debut in the much more powerful 360 NOSA Sprint. “This sport is something than you gotta want to do. You can’t be forced into it because it takes so much time, energy, money, effort, and focus. If she wants to do that then we’re gonna support her on it, and we’re excited to see what happens next. It’s always fun to do stuff as a family!”

Even after 30 years of slinging sideways on dirt, 47 year old Mike Balcaen has no intention of quitting anytime soon. He’s still a top driver every night and for the sake of comparing; Tom Corcoran, driver of the #T1 NLRA Late Model, has been racing for 44 years and is still competitive as well. Mike admits that part of the reason he’s still racing is because it’s the only thing he knows, “I really haven’t found anything else better do. It’s extremely time consuming and expensive but it’s something we still enjoy doing. The competition is a fun thing to be a part of. I don’t know when we’ll quit. We won’t say when we do. We’re just going to fade off, but in the meantime we’re trying to enjoy ourselves, put on some good shows, and win some races.” Mike Balcaen can be found weekly at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, and will be a part of the NLRA Late Model series which makes two more appearances this year at Norman County Raceway in Ada.

 

 

Mark Askelson hosts “Racing on the Radio” Thursday nights starting 6:45pm from Norman County Raceway as well as the “Racing on the Radio Review” Saturday mornings at 8:45am. Both can be heard on 106.5 KRJB and krjbradio.com.