Past winners of the Daffodil Cup have included the late Victoria driving legends Billy Foster, the first Canadian to race in the Indianapolis 500, and Roy Smith, a three-time driver in the Daytona 500. Before they went on to Indy and Daytona, respectively, Foster won the Daffodil Cup on his home track in 1962 and 1963 and Smith in 1969, 1971, 1975 and 1976.
Northwest U.S. greats who have raced in the Daffodil Cup, before going on to the Indianapolis 500, have included Tom Sneva, Art Pollard and Jim Malloy.
鈥淎ll the big Canadian and Northwest open-wheel drivers came to race the Daffodil Cup,鈥� said Western Speedway track manager Daryl Crocker.
A later generation of multiple Daffodil Cup winners included brothers Trevor and Jeff Montgomery of Victoria, Craig Deaver of Sumner, Washington, and Scott Aumen of Duncan, who set the all-time Western Speedway single-lap record of 13.49 seconds around the venerable Langford 4/10ths-mile oval, during the 2014 Daffodil Cup.
The event remains a big draw, for both drivers and fans.
鈥淲e expect cars from Oregon, Idaho, Quesnel, Langley and all over the Island,鈥� said Crocker.
鈥淭he purist race fans come out for the Daffodil Cup.鈥�
Crocker said he expects the 3,500-seat grandstand to be near capacity tonight and at capacity on Saturday night.
Aumen has retired but Jeff Montgomery is still going strong and comes in this weekend as the defending Daffodil Cup champion. Another interesting 2017 Daffodil Cup storyline involves the veteran racer Andy Alberding of Roseburg, Oregon, going against his son and up-and-coming driver Kyle Alberding.
There have been different classes and formats over the years, but the Daffodil Cup has always been open-wheel racing. The event now features open-wheel Northwest Sprintcar Racing Association winged sprint cars. The upside-down wings create downforce, allowing the methanol-fueled 750-horsepower engines to reach speeds of up to 240 kilometres-per-hour on the Western Speedway straightaways.
In side-highlight racing this weekend, WILROC non-wing sprint cars will vie for the Roy Smith Memorial Trophy tonight and the Ross Rocket Memorial Trophy on Saturday night. Old-time racers and dwarf cars will also be vrooming around Western sa国际传媒鈥檚 oldest speedway. Qualifying is at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6:30 p.m. both nights.
