1973, midgets, Western Speedway

 From the July 7 and 9, 1973 Victoria Daily Times.

 

midgets, PGARA, 1977

 From the August 26 and 29, 1977 Prince George Citizen.

 

1945 midget racing

 Starting up right after the war ended. From the October 6 and 8, 1945 Bremerton Sun.

midgets at Sea-Tac Speedway, 1963

 From the August 2 and 3, 1963 Tacoma News Tribune.

1971 racing results from a Tacoma newspaper

From the July 26, 1971 Tacoma News Tribune. 

1949 ad for Sea-Tac midget races

 From the July 15, 1949 Tacoma News Tribune. Unfortunately the results seemed to slip by the newspaper.

WMRA at Western Speedway, 1967

 The midgets at Western Speedway.

midgets at Prince George, 1989

 From the May 29, 1989 Prince George Citizen.

1978, midgets at Langley

August 26, 1978 WMRA race at Langley Speedway. From the September 6, 1978 issue of Racing Wheels.

Langley midgets, 1966

Opening day for the 1966 season, Sunday, June 12th. From the June 16, 1966 Surrey Leader.

interview with an old-timer

Tony West, who raced at Victoria's Langford Speedway, interviewed in 1977 while he was working as an official for the Washington Midget Racing Association.

Langley Speedway, Saturday, August 26, 1978

The Washington Midget Racing Association makes an appearance.

Saturday, August 26, 1978

Washington Midget Racing Association and Claimers

NTR for midgets

Mike Munce, 14.641 (old record by Palmer Crowell, 14.756)

midget dash

1 – Ed Shefchik

No heat information

Claimer consolation main

1 – Al Darbyshire

Claimer B main

1 – Don White

Claimer A main

1 – Bjorn Illingby

2 – Chuck Swanson

3 – Gary Rayburn

Midget consolation main

1 – A.C. Stebbins, Kent, WA

2 – Bill Hall, Burnaby

3 – Gary Ekland, Federal Way, WA

Midget main

1 – Ed Shefchik, Puyallup

2 – Mike Munce, Tacoma

3 – Chuck Rude, Lynwood, WA

Sunday, May 14 and 21, 1978, Langley Speedway

Confusion already. Ad for "The Mighty Midgets" for the 14th. No results. Rain? (Historian Robert G. Hunter notes the race was cancelled.)

Then an ad for the "limited super stocks, claimers and Orval the Clown"

So results for the May21st race.

Langley Speedway, Sunday, May 21, 1978

ad was for limited super stocks, claimers and Orval the Clown but results for midgets.

B dash

1 – Gary Lynch, Salem, OR

A dash

1 – Arnie Starks, Puyallup, WA

B main

1 – Gary Lynch

2 – Ken Henderson, Des Moines, WA

3 – Alvin Adam, WA

A Main

1 – Palmer Crowell, Glenwood, OR

2 – Edward Shefchik, Puyallup, WA

3 – Eric Gibson

Crowell in the Gordon Reelie car led from start to finish. Bill Hall also racing.

Saturday, August 13, 1977, Langley Speedway

The Mighty Midgets make an appearance at Langley.

Saturday, August 13, 1977

Washington Midget Auto Racing Association and claimers

midget times

Palmer Crowell, #75, 14.746 (NTR for midgets)

Bill Przyhylski

Louie Shefchik, #99

Dennis Russell, #51

claimer B dash

1 – Rick Archibald, Burnaby

claimer A dash

1 – Frank Bursey, Richmond

midget B dash

1 – Al Adams, #81

midget A dash

1 – Palmer Crowell

first midget heat

1 – Chuck Rude, #16

second midget heat

1 – Mike Munce, #76

third midget heat

1 – Dennis Russell

fourth midget heat

1 – Arnie Starks, #55

Jim Edwards and Trevor Boys went over the fourth turn fence. Edwards broke his arm.

Claimer main

1 – Paul Gendron, Langley, '62 Chev

2 – Roy Dizenbachs, Surrey

3 – Gordon Harding, Langley

midget main (35 laps)

1 – Arnie Starks, Puyallup

2 – Louie Shefchik

3 – Larry Avery

some photos from Agassiz Speedway, September 12, 2015

Went there for the midget racing. 14 cars timed in, 12 took the green in the main.

Digney Speedway, 1948

Opening day at Burnaby's Digney Speedway. 16 mm film transferred to VHS transferred to DVD. And another step or so after that.

Explains the quality.

But it's colour so that's good.

Sunday, September 9, 1973, Langley Speedway

The Mighty Midgets of the Washington Midget Racing Association finally got a race in at Langley.

Local car owner Gordon Reelie won the owner's title in 1973 as did his driver Palmer Crowell.

Sunday, September 9, 1973

Midgets and Claimers and Powder Puff

Washington Midget Racing Association.

3,000 in attendance.

Fast time:

Palmer Crowell, Offy (owned by Gordon Reelie), 15.30

Claimer dash:

1 – Gordon Harding, Langley, '56 Ford

C midget dash:

1 – Charlie Hayes, CA, Chevy II

B midget dash:

1 – Bill Hall, Burnaby, Chevy II

A midget dash:

1 – Bob Johnson, Puyallup, WA, Chevy II

Claimer C heat:

1 – Cliff Parker, Surrey, '60 Chev

2 – Barry Tuhkala, Surrey, '59 Ford

3 – Steve Butala, Mission, '55 Pontiac

Claimer B heat:

1 – Joe Abel, Surrey, '62 Chev

2 – Eldon Casey, New Westminster, '63 Ford

3 – Wayne Nisbet, Surrey

Claimer A heat:

1 – Stan Cavanagh, Maple Ridge, '59 Dodge

2 – Gordon Wood, Delta, '62 Ford

3 – Lloyd De Jong, Surrey, '59 Dodge

Midget C heat:

1 – Charlie Hayes, CA

2 – Bob Schell, CA, Offy

3 – Terry Hanson, Daimler

Midget B heat:

1 – Sonny Hanson, Sesco

2 – Arlen Stebbins, Seattle, Falcon

3 – Bill Hall

Midget A heat:

1 – Eddie Schefchik, Puyallup, Chevy II

2 – Bob Johnson, Puyallup, Offy

3 – Palmer Crowell, Offy

Powder Puff main:

1 – Carol Stickle

2 – Lynn Conroy

3 – Lorrain Schmidke

Claimer main:

1 – Cliff Parker, Surrey, '60 Chev

2 – Lloyd De Jong, Surrey, '59 Dodge

3 – Gordon Wood, Delta, '62 Ford

Midget main (35 laps, 20 cars start)

1 – Bob Schell, West Covina, CA, #15, Offy

2 – Charlie Hayes, CA

3 – Sonny Hanson, Puyallup.

the midgets at PGARA, 1977

Cliff Hucul was advertised as being in the Gordon Reelie Weldco midget. Not sure if that happened.

Shorty Templeman bio from 1963

 Raced the northwest, winning the Washington Midget Racing Association points title a handful of times. Went on to win USAC national midget titles. Lost his life in a racing accident in 1962.

more old clippings

Seems hard to believe that 1983 is old. But it is. Again from Spanaway Speedway. This time the midgets.