NLRA Crowns Mike Balcaen as the 2008 NLRA Tour Champion

Another year is in the books, and another NLRA Champion will be crowed November 15^th. Mike Balcaen of Winnipeg, Manitoba is now a 4 time NLRA Champion, adding this to his impressive list of achievements he’s accomplished in the last twenty-five years. This veteran driver secured his 32^nd overall championship by winning two of the tour races late in the season. One at Red River Coop Speedway and the other at Greenbush Racepark.

Midway through the season, Balcaen had yet to claim a feature win for 2008, which left some people wondering, but that didn’t bother the 25 year veteran, he says, “We have finished second 9 times in the last few months, so sooner or later the wins will come.” Balcaen uses Millar Racing Engines and also is the “Wissota land” authorized Victory Circle Chassis dealer. “This year when we switched midseason to the new Victory Circle Chassis, we started to win features, along with our consistent top 5 finishes. Our team has learned a lot about this chassis and have received tremendous support from the manufacture, now I can supply a complete roller with the vast knowledge we learned this year on the NLRA Tour.”

Balcaen’s Millar Racing Engines powered Victory Circle Chassis also receives sponsorship from Terraco Lubricants, Mobil1, Atek Parts.com, Electra Sign, North Star Spraying Systems, R.R.Dobel, Hogfoss Trucking, Bert Transmission, Port City Racing, Integra Shocks, BRT rack & pinion, Champ Pans, Speedbear, Kirkey Fabrication, Speedway International Pro Comp Racing Fuels, Hoosier Tire North, Wilwood Brakes, Arizona Sport Shirts, Exide Batteries, Teltac and Orness Creations.com

Residing from Canada, Balcaen finds himself geographically challenged and drives many miles up and down the interstate week in and week out along with his wife Kimberly and daughter Amber. Balcaen is extremely proud of his very supportive team led by a sharp veteran crew chief Steve Boulanger, along with help from Harry Klaus, Lance Burton and Rob Kanne.

There were a total of fifty different drivers that competed during the tour, and of that number, fourteen different drivers entered victory lane in sixteen NLRA events. Mike Balcaen entered Victory Lane twice as did Zach Johnson, the 2007 and 2008 WISSOTA Champion.

The NLRA is an organization for the betterment of Late Model Racing. The group tours in a limited area, while organizing a purse structure beneficial to the drivers, along with bringing a solid car count to each tour race. More information about the NLRA can be found at www.nlra.org.

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