11/2/2024
WISSOTA
HAWKER HUSTLES TO 2024 WISSOTA MOD FOUR ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TITLE
20-year-old Blake Hawker moved from the WISSOTA Hornet division, where he had competed the past two seasons, to the WISSOTA Mod Four class in 2024 and the jump paid off as he raced to the WISSOTA National Rookie of the Year honor for his efforts during his first year in the open wheeled division.
Blake topped 18 other Mod Four rookies for the award and bested Sturgis, South Dakota’s Kyle Hardesty by just 10 points for the title. The title fight took Hawker out to Sheridan, Wyoming to battle head-to-head with Hardesty in late September. Hawker was able to finish ahead of Hardesty both nights to secure the Rookie of the Year title for his efforts. Hawker won five times in 2024 at five different tracks, including the Paul Bunyon Stampede at the Bemidji Speedway in Bemidji, MN, which was one of his highlights from the season, as was getting his first win at the Ogilvie Raceway in Ogilvie, MN after a door-to-door battle with former national champion Dustin Holquist for the win.
Throughout the season, Hawker won at Bemidji and Ogilvie, and also at the North Central Speedway in Brainerd, MN, at the KRA Speedway in Willmar, MN and at the Grand Rapids Speedway in Grand Rapids, MN to secure the rookie title. He competed in 49 feature races throughout the year, finishing inside the top ten in 49 of those starts and racing to 34 top five finishes for his efforts as well. His season not only landed him ROY honors, but he also finished sixth in the final WISSOTA Mod Four National points as well. Blake summed up his rookie season by saying ‘It’s pretty unreal to be the WISSOTA Rookie of the Year. I surprised myself!’
Blake’s #21 is sponsored by Peak Performance Builders, Tom’s Windshield Repair, East Central Sports, Unique Title & Escrow, EZ Exteriors, Northern Lawn Service, Lars Mfg., Halls Racing Engines and DCR and he is also supported by his family and crew, which consists of his dad Alan and uncle Tyler, who also races in the Mod Four division. He also wanted to thank his family for all of their support all season. His mom Kristi, dad Alan, sisters Keardyn and Jaycey and brother Brody.
Lastly, Blake wanted to congratulate his grandpa Dean on winning the Mod Four National Championship this season! Blake said it was really fun to be able to race against his grandpa and uncle Tyler all season long on a weekly basis and to see his grandpa win the national title while he won the rookie title was even more special.
Congrats to Blake and his team!
The WISSOTA Promoters Association exists to benefit its member tracks to enhance safe, profitable and successful dirt track racing, through unified, cost-effective rules, policies and procedures enacted within a democratic environment.
The WISSOTA Promoters Association was founded in 1981 by eight track promoters in Wisconsin and Minnesota, with an intent to offer uniform rules for the promoters and drivers involved in the Late Model division. Soon, the group decided to do the same for the growing Modified division.
In 1984 a voluntary steering committee was formed to oversee the business aspects that developed and to guide the future of WISSOTA’s racing divisions. That steering committee evolved into a board of directors, and the non-profit racing organization became incorporated in 1986.
Promoters who join the organization become, in essence, part owners of the racing organization and are expected to contribute to its overall success. Each November, the WISSOTA annual meeting is held; the member promoters gather annually in this forum to discuss the future of the organization. Member promoters are given the opportunity to vote on all organizational policies and procedures as well as rules for competition in the various racing divisions. WISSOTA’s member promoters and racing associations have spent approximately 30 years of hard work at the annual meetings crafting unique rules for each of the divisions, which are known as WISSOTA Late Models, WISSOTA Modifieds, WISSOTA Super Stocks, WISSOTA Street Stocks, WISSOTA Mod Fours, WISSOTA Pure Stocks and WISSOTA Hornets.
WISSOTA is proudly sponsored by their official marketing partners: Hoosier Racing Tire, My Race Pass, NAPA Auto Parts, Dirt Race Central, Speedway Motors, Suburban Chevrolet and All The Dirt Racing News, along with their Platinum partners, Raceceiver and Chevrolet Performance, plus their Gold sponsors, which include EngineQuest, QA1, and World Products. WISSOTA is also sponsored by Silver partners Motul, AFCO and Willy’s Carburetor & Dyno Shop, plus Bronze sponsors, including Hanco Corporation and Statk Products. WISSOTA also has a great group of contingency sponsors, including Brodix Cylinder Heads, BuyRaceShirts.com, Manley, Allstar Performance, AMI Graphics, Winning Edge Graphics, Velocita, RaceCals, RaceGear Designs, All Star Trophy & Awards, Minuteman Press, UEM Pistons, Mahle Motorsports, Performance Auto and MD3. WISSOTA’s Late Model Challenge Series is proudly sponsored by Structural Buildings, Momentum Truck Group, Freightliner, Western Star, Minnesota Truck Headquarters, NAPA Auto Parts, Garage Tech X-treme, Raceceiver, AT21 Spoiler Factory, Velocita, BuyRaceShirts.com, Sunoco Race Fuels by Woodie’s Racing, Gorsuch Performance Solutions, Speedwerx, Hiller Auction Inc., Shaw Trucking Inc., Collins Bros Towing of St. Cloud, ServPro, Olsen Custom Farms, Joe Provo Racewear, My Race Pass, Hoosier Racing Tire, Motul, White City Glass, Champ Pans and MD3. WISSOTA’s Official Supporters include: American Heritage Bank, After The Checkers, Bid-2-Buy, Carlson Service Center, Engine Shop, Extreme Tint LLC, Frankman Motor Comp. Inc., FYE Motorsports Promotions, Hanso Paving, Heights Pizza Man, H&S Heating & Cooling, Hilmerson Spots Center, K&A Autobody, Kal’s Motor Group, Kramlich – Deede Meats, Landwehr Construction, Line-X of St. Cloud, Manheim Minnesota, Nyhus Family Sales, Outlaw Graphics, Select Electric, LLC, Sharptruck.com, Specialized Auto Glass, St. Cloud Financial Credit Union, TP Fabricating, Town & Country Excavating, Westwind Logistics, Woodie’s Racing, Woodie’s Manufacturing and Zeuli’s Race Engines.
For more information on WISSOTA, log on to www.WISSOTA.org.
Submitted By: Nikki Cook
