The historical arc of Island auto racing comes full circle tonight as the days grow short for Westshore Motorsports Park. Formerly known as Western Speedway, the venerable 4/10ths-mile Langford oval was established in 1954, and is the oldest auto-racing track in Western sa国际传媒.
Hershel McGriff Jr. will drive tonight in the Arbutus RV Western 150 presented by the Wickertree, which will be the last Super Late Model race to be held at the historic speedway.
McGriff Jr. is from Tucson, Arizona, and is the former NASCAR Northwest Tour rookie of the year. McGriff Jr.’s father is 2023 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Hershel McGriff, 94, who will act as honorary grand marshal of the race.
The elder McGriff, born in Bridal Veil, Oregon, is part of the legendary roster of drivers who have raced at Western Speedway. The list includes NASCAR great Bobby Allison, two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Roger Ward, and Janet Guthrie, the first woman to race the Indy 500.
The U.S. Pacific Northwest legends who raced at Western Speedway before going on to the Indianapolis 500 have included Tom Sneva, Art Pollard and Jim Malloy. Island legends to come out of the track have included the late Billy Foster, the first Canadian to race in the Indianapolis 500, and the late Roy Smith, a three-time driver in the Daytona 500.
In a way, McGriff Sr. will represent all of them tonight as honorary grand marshal.
This marks the first Super Late Model race at the speedway since 2004 when Mike Zamora won, and will feature the best drivers in sa国际传媒, as a fitting farewell to this racing category at the historic facility, which was sold in 2020, and will shut down with the 81-acre site to be redeveloped into a housing neighbourhood and business park with a proposed film studio and hotel. The track will close at the end of this racing season.
Island drivers looking to score the epoch-ending victory tonight include recent track stars such as Mike Haslam, Brandon Carlson, Geoff Robinson, David Smith and Darrell Midgley. Top Lower Mainland drivers going for the flag include the likes of Was Mader and Dave Hemrich.
