GARY SMITH 2021 INDUCTEE

As the eldest son of Roy and Diana “Chuck” Smith, Gary began his racing career at the age of three in Go Karts, winning his first trophy the following year and continuing in this class for eighteen years winning many local and out of town contests including back-to-back Northwest Gold Cups as well as four International Karting Federation (IKF) championships.

In 1986, Gary climbed into his first race car for a two hundred lap Enduro race at Western Speedway, finishing fourth out of a field of one hundred and seventeen cars following which he entered the next Enduro and again placed fourth out of eighty-six racers.

In 1990 he took the wheel of an IMCA (International Motor Contest Association) Modified owned by Bill Zbediak and won the Points Championship, Rookie of the Year and Driver of the Year. At the end of the season, the team travelled to California and Arizona to compete in the Great West Classic, running eight events in ten days. Gary finished second in overall points after winning races at Lakeport and El Cajon Speedways. The end of the 1992 season at Western saw him once again as the Season Points Winner in the class. He also won the Island Series points championship running at Western, Cassidy and Saratoga.

Bill Vader purchased the IMCA car for the 1993 season and had Gary drive for him which resulted in another great year with a second Island Series Championship and individual ones at Western and Cassidy. Winning IMCA races at both Evergreen and South Sound Speedways in 1994, Gary also drove a Super Modified for Gerry Vantreight in Boise, Idaho until the event was rained out. He was then offered a ride in a car at Yakima, leading the main event for twenty-five of thirty-five laps until the engine blew. This same year, Gary made his NASCAR debut at Monroe Washington against the likes of Bill Elliot, Harry Gant, Derek Cope and other notable drivers of that period, leading the race for several laps and finishing an impressive sixth. Subsequently driving the same car at Phoenix International Raceway, he again placed sixth.

Bill Vader had Gary drive for him again in 1995 and he placed third in the seventeen event NASCAR Northwest series. Following in his Dad’s footsteps in 1997, Gary competed in the NASCAR Winston West series and recorded wins in Tucson and Las Vegas and also nine top five and eleven top ten finishes which placed him third in overall points and earned him Rookie of the Year honours. The highlight of the seasom was his racing against his Dad at Evergeen Speedway where Gary came second and Roy seventh. He also entered this season’s Canada 200 and finished third. Gary drove for Bill McNally in 1998 in the Winston West series and finished third in points. As the only Canadian driver, he was invited by NASCAR to run in Motegi, Japan at a joint race between NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch North and Winston West at which he finished twenty-fifth.

From 1999 through 2000, Gary drove for Bernie Hilber on a limited basis in the Winston West Series which included the Canada 200 where he recorded another third place finish. In 2001, CASCAR made it’s debut at Western for the Canada 200 at which Gary set fast time and again placed third. His final Winston West race was in 2004 at Evergeen Speedway where he drove a Dick Midgley car in a race which was in memory of his Dad with members of Roy’s original crew also being present. In 2008, Gary Isacson had him pilot a Wilroc sprintcar to a second place finish in that year’s Daffodil Cup.

Driving a Wesco sprintcar for Brian McLees at South Sound Speedway in 2010, Gary finished with a win and fifth in points. Harvey Hoodenboom was Gary’s car owner in the full season of the Keg Late Model series of 2012 at which Gary placed third in points. In 2019 he drove in two classes, a Wilroc non-winged sprintcar for Dave Smith and a Todd Heikes-owned Keg Late Model series car where he won a main event and finished second in points. He continued with both car owners in the Wilroc series until 2021 when he won his final main event.

Now, after becoming President of the Vancouver Island Karting Association (VIKA), Gary focuses his attention on promoting and introducing the Island’s youth to gokarting, coming full circle in his lifelong association with auto racing.