Dedicated to preserving the memory of Southern Ontario’s early days of stock car racing, Yesterday’s Speedways will return to the show, as part of the 7th Annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo presented by eBay Motors with a massive photographic display of racing history and two examples of short track machinery from a by-gone era. The Motorama Show runs April 29, 30 and May 1 at Toronto’s International Centre.
Nestled within the Inside Track Racing Zone presented by Stoneridge Specialty Insurance, Yesterday’s Speedways founder and stock car racing historian Rick Sharples and Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame member and veteran photographer Dave Franks will showcase a collection of photos and ephemera highlighting the various vehicles, facilities and personalities that built the foundation for the current era of short track racing in the province.
To honour a pair of Ontario’s premiere competitors from the past, Don Biederman’s championship-winning Nova will front the display, accompanied by the No. 12 Hobby Car previously campaigned by Jim Collison.
“The Nova was the car that Biederman drove to the win in the ’77 Oxford 250,” noted Franks. “That day he beat a lot of the established NASCAR guys, guys like Harry Gant and Morgan Shepherd. He then took the car to Cayuga for the Maple Leaf 250 and won that race, too.”
The Hobby Cars were a staple at virtually every Ontario short track, and were the launch pad for many of the day’s future stars. This style of vehicle can still be found regularly competing at Flamboro Speedway under the Canadian Vintage Modified banner.
The Yesterday’s Speedways booth has, in the past, been the Motorama hot spot for bench racing debates and discussions, and Sharples expects much of the same for this year.
“People remember these races, these tracks. For a lot of people, attending the Friday or Saturday night races was a family tradition,” said Sharples. “The old photos attract those people, and they all have favourite memories from those days to share.”
For fans of the vintage short track racing scene, at the 2022 edition of the Motorama Show Franks will have a collection of historic, plaque-mounted photographs for sale with proceeds going to the Simcoe-Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre in the Royal Victorian Hospital in Barrie, ON. Fans are advised to visit the display early, as there are only a limited number of photos that will be made available.
For tickets and show info, visit MotoramaShow.com.
