DON SMITH 2004 INDUCTEE

Having a father who was a motorcycle fanatic and a family home with a yard full of cars, a dirt track in the backyard and brothers who were all riding bikes by the time they were three years old definitely pointed Don Smith towards a hobby with wheels and competition.

Growing up in this environment, Don had by the age of eight in 1965, a car of his own to wheel on the family track and he quickly developed a love of auto racing.

In the mid 1970’s he entered and competed in some Total Destruction derbies and then got involved in Stockcar racing at Nanaimo’s Grandview Bowl in 1979, earning the honour of Rookie of the Year. Then wanting to learn how to put racecars together, he became a mechanic for three years at Western Speedway during which time he built a Roadrunner class of car for his brother Steve to drive.

In 1986, Don and Steve purchased a 1970 Chevy Nova Stockcar in which Don as the driver won the Championship race and that years points championship as well as Stockcar Driver of the Year, Mechanic of the Year and Best Appearing Stockcar. Again capturing the Championship race and Season Points Championship the following season, he also took home the Billy Foster 100, the July Cup, Corby Cup and the Stockcar Special Event. A third championship followed the next year along with repeats of the July and Corby Cups and also Driver of the Year.

Don moved up to the travelling CanAm Pro Stock class in 1990 winning races at Prince George, Quesnel, Ephrata and the PayLess 150 at Western Speedway. He finished in second place in points for the year. The following season he was third in overall Can Am points and in 1992 with the series running at Western, Saratoga, Port Angeles and Spanaway, was crowned the Champion.

In 1993 he joined the Northwest All Stars Tour, running at Spanaway, Ephrata, Stateline, Wenatchee and Victoria, a thirteen race series, and won the Gillette-Thrifty Foods 200 at Western, a feat which he repeated the following year. Don competed in Western’s Late Model Super Stock class in 1995, setting a new track record of 16:48 and placing third in that year’s 200 lap race. In the same class the following season, he was third in overall points for the year and in 1997 won the Season Points Championship having lead the points race all season which included a third place in the American 200 in Tenino Washington and winning the 200 lapper at Western.

For 1998, Don ran in the Northwest International Racing Association’s seven race series at Western, Saratoga, Yakima and Tenino and also set fast time with a main event second placing on May 30^th at Western, won a one hundred lap contest in Calgary, a main event win at Western two weeks later and placed second in the Thrifty Foods 200, ending the year fifth in total points.