K-M 8th grader competes at Chateau Raceway
Viola Brannan, an 8th grader at Kasson-Mantorville, has grown up riding go-carts, dirt bikes, and four-wheelers. but this year she began racing cars. Even though her dad, Matt, never raced, she comes from a racing family history. Her grandfather Roger Horsman, and great-grandfather Bob Horsman, plus another great-grandfather, Jim Peterson, were all involved with dirt track racing. Bob owned a car and Jim drove this car in races so there was a racing family connection going back to the 1950s.
The Brannan's bought a 1985 Chevy Monte Carlo and did some modifications to the vehicle to get it ready for the race season. Since blue is Viola’s favorite color, that is the color they painted her car, and they used the number 5V for the car. Five was also the number of her grandfather Rogers's race car.
Viola’s grandfather Roger Horsman started racing in 1981 at the Dodge County Speedway at the fairgrounds. He bought a two-door and a four-door Ford and used parts to complete his car. Another racer was interested in the motor so he sold them one of the cars to him. His dad, Bob, had worked in auto shops and then operated a small engine repair shop in Kasson after he retired. He had also raced cars from 1953 – 1962 and Oliver Knutson, a mechanic for Blaisdell Motors in Kasson, did mechanical work on his car. Once Bob quit racing he never went to a race until his son, Roger, started racing 20 years later.
Roger started participating in figure 8 races at the Dodge County Fairgrounds the first year, which could be quite scary and easily result in crashes. He then moved to the feature races after that. He drove Chevy Impalas, a Monte Carlo, and Chevelle cars during his career. Unlike racing equipment today, Roger did not wear a fireproof racing suit and shoes, but was belted in and wore a helmet. He also did not have the racing bucket seat drivers now sit in. Racers also started wearing a neck brace after the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 race. Once Roger quit racing in 1988 he also did not attend races until his granddaughter Viola started in 2022.
Starting this summer, Viola raced at Chateau Raceway in Lansing, (north of Austin) on Friday nights. They are part of the URSA (United States Racing Association) and the WISSOTA racing organization. If there is rain during the day before the race and the track is too wet, the races are canceled that week.
She has entered the Pure Stock class races so she starts out in the eight-lap heat race to qualify for the 15-lap feature race later in the evening. Viola finished all but one of the races she entered and finished 8th in points for her class. When asked what she enjoys about racing, Viola mentioned that the race ends too soon, and she wishes she could continue to drive more laps.
Since racing can get to be an expensive sport to participate in, Viola has obtained several sponsors for her car. They were able to buy some of the used racing clothing and hand-me-down tires for the car. She was able to use the same set of tires for the whole season. There is a small entry fee for the race driver and pit crew members for each race night.
Before each race, her pit crew makes sure all the car bolts are tight, and the radiator and tires are at their proper level. All the drivers meet together before the race event each week to go over the racing rules to keep them all safe on the track.
Family and friends attended each week to cheer Viola on as she took part in the races. An interesting thing is that she is not old enough to get a Minnesota drivers’ license or drive on our highways, but she can drive race cars on dirt tracks.
The family does enjoy outdoor activities such as traveling the trails on peddle bikes, riding ATVs, and ice fishing on lakes near Faribault and Waseca. The Brannan's are enjoying being involved with their family activities and continuing with their long-time family history with car racing this year and in the years to come
PHOTO: Photo by Wayne Hendrickson Viola Brannan poses with her racing gear. The Kasson-Mantorville 8th grader raced at Chateau Speedway in Lansing this past summer.