NORM WILCOX 2014 INDUCTEE

Norm Wilcox’s first racing experience was in the early 1960’s riding down “Miller’s Hill” in a homemade go-cart built by Harvey Chipper. He began crewing in 1963 on a stockcar owned by Frank Dyer.  One of his first jobs  was to put the cylinder heads back on the car’s flathead Ford engine. Norm and Roy Haslam put them on “backwards” while fellow crew member Dick Miller, who was under the car putting in the transmission, fell asleep.  In 1968 Norm and Gary Kershaw built the blue #21 “Mallock and Mosley Logging”-sponsored ’55 Chevy stockcar. They had three goals for the season: win the “Season Championship”, win the “Billy Foster 100”, and win the “Best Looking Car” Award, all of which they did!

Gary moved up to the “Super Stock” Class in 1969, so Norm teamed up with Billy and Charlie Price.  They bought Gary’s old car and with Billy in the driver’s seat proceeded to tie Mel Marshall for the Season Championship. The “Price/ Wilcox” team moved to “Late Model Stocks” in 1970, running the same ’55 Chevy and finished the season third in points. The following year the car was re-bodied as a 1964 Chevelle, which Billy drove to 6th place in points, plus they won the “Best Looking Car” award. Continuing for one more season, the boys ended the ‘72 season in third place.

Norm’s interest had changed by 1976 and the old 1930’s stockcars became his focus.  Within a couple of years he was rebuilding the first of several “Old Timers”.  His first, the #1 “Coca-Cola” car, which had last been driven by Bill Halliday in 1963, was purchased from stockcar and super stock driver Dean Cramb.  Gary Kershaw was the first to drive it at Western at an “Old Timer’s Nite” in August of ’76.  The following year saw three cars now restored which was the beginning of the “Old Time Racers Association” (OTRA).  Norm subsequently built four more cars, selling them to Fraser Carmichael, Dave Smith, Mike Currier, and Wayne Townsend.

Some of Norm ideas were implemented for the betterment of the racing community on the Island, his best being put forward in 1983 when he thought that the Island auto racing community should have a “Hall of Fame”. He asked a friend, who agreed. They found a few more interested race enthusiasts and in 1984 a committee was formed which resulted in the induction of the first seven members into the newly formed “Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame” at a ceremony at Western Speedway.   The practice of new inductees receiving a blue jacket with the “Hall of Fame” crest emblazoned on it is also thanks in part to Norm.  That same year, Norm started the “7/11 Race of Champions” for former Western Speedway season championship winning drivers.

Norm went on, with fellow “Hall of Fame” co-founder Ross Rockett, to form the “WilRoc” Sprint car series which endures to this day.