Victoria has had some notable moments in national auto-racing history. The late Billy Foster was the first Canadian to race in the Indianapolis 500 and the late Roy Smith raced three times in the Daytona 500, including into the top-10 in 1982.
“This has always been a great racing town,” said former Western Speedway driving legend Dave Smith.
That, and a lot more, was celebrated Saturday in a Daytona 500 weekend event in Sidney that certainly got the emotional pistons pumping for the big race today in Florida.
On display were cars that have raced at the Daytona International Speedway, Sonoma and numerous other raceways around the U.S.
Guests included a literal Who’s Who of Island auto-racing greats such as Ross Surgenor, Gary Kershaw, Dave Cooper, Ray Pottinger, Larry Pollard and Gary Smith, son of Roy Smith and also a NASCAR driver. Also on hand was Robert Johnson, son of Junior Johnson, who won more than 50 NASCAR races to be dubbed “The Last American Hero.”
Former Western Speedway manager Matt Sahlstrom was there, as was Butch Behn, owner of Olympia Speedway, swapping old tales.
The assembled tested their white-knuckle, hairpin abilities on a race simulator, reliving the old days when they did it for real.
The event was hosted at his Professional Components facility by Dave Smith, who returned to racing in 2017 after his initial retirement of nearly 40 years, and who at age 69 now races late-model stocks in Arizona and California and who will be racing this season locally in the Keg Series.
“It did this as a personal challenge and to inspire others,” Smith said.
“After I recently dodged a bullet of life-threatening illness [cancer], I asked myself what was the craziest thing I could do? Life is always about challenges.”
So the man who has helped build cars for the likes of Janet Guthrie, Gary Kershaw and Hershel McGriff, decided to race again.
“I’m not getting into any wrecks,” quipped Smith, who has raced Paul Tracy and the Andrettis in top tracks across North America.
Oh, and he also navigated the Arctic Inside Passage in 2010. How’s that for a sidelight to racing?
“And I’ve promised [Langford Mayor] Stew Young that I would help out Western Speedway,” Smith said.
“It’s been a launching pad for so many and a great Victoria racing tradition.”
Today, however, is for the wide-screen TV and watching the big race from Daytona with friends and colleagues who have been around the track a few times themselves.
