There鈥檚 been a lot of miles raced, and a lot of rubber burned, over 64 years at Western Speedway to arrive at the new sa国际传媒 Stop of Interest sign unveiled there Thursday.
Many legendary drivers, from NASCAR great Bobby Allison and two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Roger Ward to female racing trailblazer Janet Guthrie, have raced the venerable Langford oval.
That鈥檚 not to mention the myriad Island drivers who came out of the speedway, which is Western sa国际传媒鈥檚 oldest, and was established in 1954. That halcyon list includes the late Billy Foster of Victoria, the first Canadian to race the Indianapolis 500, and the late three-time Daytona 500 racer Roy Smith from Victoria.
Three of those veteran Western Speedway star drivers from yesteryear 鈥� Dave Cooper, Bill Smith and Howie Hilton 鈥� pulled back the covering during Thursday鈥檚 ceremony to unveil a piece of that history with the sa国际传媒 Stop of Interest sign that will stand at the entrance gate to the speedway.
The green signs with the gold lettering, denoting places of historical or geographic interest, are familiar to travellers throughout the province.
Auto racing fans at Western Speedway will now brush up against a permanent reminder of the track鈥檚 history, beginning tonight and Saturday, when they enter the turnstiles for the annual Daffodil Cup races.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an unbelievable honour because these are typically put up at provincial parks and such things and not usually on private property,鈥� said Daryl Crocker, manager of Western Speedway.
鈥淭his will be a nice reminder as people enter the speedway. There is even an acknowledgment in the text that the Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame also sits on this site. It will be exciting to see as fans walk by the sign for many years to come.鈥�
The unveiling was rather fittingly tied into the annual Daffodil Cup, which is the biggest race weekend at Western Speedway. The race began in 1961. Before they went on to their respective Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 paths, Foster won the Daffodil Cup on his home Langford track in 1962 and 1963 and Smith in 1968, 1971, 1975 and 1976.
U.S. Pacific Northwest greats who have raced in the Daffodil Cup, before going on to the Indianapolis 500, have included Tom Sneva, Art Pollard and 1964 Daffodil Cup-champion Jim Malloy.
Other notable drivers who have won the Daffodil Cup include siblings Trevor and Jeff Montgomery of Victoria, three-time champion Craig Deaver of Sumner, Washington, and five-time champion Scott Aumen of Duncan, who set the all-time Western Speedway single-lap record of 13.49 seconds around the 4/10ths-mile oval during the 2014 Daffodil Cup race.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the longest-tenured and one of the biggest races in sa国际传媒 and the Pacific Northwest,鈥� said Crocker.
Whatever the variety or form of the cars, the Daffodil Cup has only ever featured open-wheel racing. The current format utilizes Northwest Sprintcar Racing Association winged-sprint cars. The inverted wings create a tremendous downforce, which enables the methanol-fuelled 750-horsepower engines to reach speeds of up to 240 kilometres-per-hour.
Hometown favourite Jeff Montgomery is still going strong, with the last of his four Daffodil Cup championships coming in 2016, and he is considered one of the leading contenders for this weekend鈥檚 47th running of the race among the 20 winged sprint cars entered.
More provincial content is provided by defending champion Aaron Willison of Langley, while 2014-champion Ron Larson of Quesnel is another strong sa国际传媒 driver looking for a return to Daffodil Cup glory.
Sierra Jackson of Meridian, Idaho, stirred up Guthrie-like echoes at the Langford oval when she became the first female winner of the Daffodil Cup in 2012. Jackson returns and will be among the favourites this weekend.
Veteran American racer and 2015 Daffodil Cup-champion Andy Alberding of Roseburg, Oregon, will be challenged by his emerging son Kyle Alberding in a familial battle behind the steering wheels.
鈥淭his is the most cars we鈥檝e had in 10 years for the Daffodil Cup,鈥� said Crocker.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very deep field and any of 12 to 14 cars are capable of winning it.鈥�
The overall points leader over two nights of racing tonight and Saturday will be crowned the 2018 Daffodil Cup champion. There will also be old timers鈥� racing association cars and Island dwarf cars racing to augment the card. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with qualifying at 5 p.m. and racing at 6:30 p.m. both nights.
