DAN WADE 2004 INDUCTEE

Dan Wade’s first exposure to auto racing was at a very young age when his parents, Les and Ruby, took him and his brothers to Shearing Speedway in 1953. This continued the following year and in 1955 moved to Western Speedway where they all cheered on their favourite drivers, Dave Cooper and Billy Foster.

Following their final season as spectators in 1971, Dan and three of his siblings decided it was time to get actively involved so they purchased a 1956 Ford Stockcar from Harvey St. Hilaire with brother Al being given the driver’s seat and Dan becoming their crew chief. They finished the 1972 season in sixth place in the points standings with Al being awarded Rookie of the Year.

In 1973, they finished in eleventh spot in points with Dan also crewing for Gary Kershaw on that year’s IDC (International Drivers Challenge) circuit. The following season was their best to date with Al winning nine main events including the Roy White Memorial, setting a new Stockcar track record and finishing second in the 1974 points race. Deciding that it was time for a step up, the boys then purchased Rick O’Dell’s 1963 Plymouth Super Stock with which they finished seventh in points. Dan also crewed for Rick at NASCAR and IDC events as well as setting up his first Daytona 500 tour which continued for many years. The 1976 season saw the Wade Brothers finish ninth in points with Dan being elected as a VITRA (Vancouver Island Track Racing Association) Director.

Dan became VITRA President in 1977 and was instrumental in the creation of the three track Island Series for both Stockcars and Super Stocks. He was also voted VITRA Member of the Year. He served two more terms as President in ’78 and ’79 while still being involved as a car owner. Dan continued from 1980 to 1985 to organize tours as well as sponsoring trips for track champions, etc., which would go on until 2002. In 1986 he became the owner of a car for his son Lance in VITRA’s Bomber class which resulted in a ninth place finish in points the next year followed by a fourth place in 1988. That season they also raced at Port Angeles, Tenino, Monroe and in Roseville, California.

Along with his brother Roger, Dan bought a Super Stock in 1989 which was converted into a Pro Stock which they ran at Western and also in the Fall Classic at Yakima. Dan assisted Lance on the International Pro Stock Series and the CanAm Late Model Series in the Northwest in 1990 and 1991 with them also venturing to Kalispell, Montana where Lance won the Montana 200 in 1991.

Joining forces with brothers George and Roger, Dan fielded a team for Lance to compete in the Winston West series of NASCAR from 1992 to 1999 which included an attempt to qualify for the Brickyard 400 race at Indianapolis.

From 2000 on, Dan remained very active in motorsports and continued to arrange tours to Daytona and Phoenix as well as continuing to be an avid spectator at tracks all over the Northwest, the seed of which had been planted so many years ago by his auto racing-loving parents.