by Troy Hennig
ROSEVILLE, CA – (APRIL 4, 2016)… Calistoga Speedway continues its’ rundown of the Class of 2016 Hall of Fame inductees with two more names to be enshrined during the 5th Annual Hall of Fame Dinner held Friday night, September 2nd, inside the Tubbs building located on the Napa County Fairgrounds. The two names are Phil Pedlar and Mike McCreary.
It is with heavy hearts that the Speedway recognizes the passing of Phil Pedlar in March. “It gives me great pleasure to know that Phil was told of his induction into the Hall of Fame at Calistoga before he passed away,” said Tommy Hunt president of HMC Promotions. “I was told he had a big smile on his face when he was informed that his name will be forever associated with the other greats of Calistoga Speedway.” At this time it is believed that his wife will make the long trip out and represent her husband during the induction ceremony.
Phil “Bang Bang” Pedlar had a long and storied racing career starting with racing hardtops, then moving on to Sprint Cars and finishing in Super Stocks. While in a sprint car, Pedlar was always exciting and won 9 times here at Calistoga Speedway, which still stands 11th all-time. Phil also was the first known racer to ever win three Calistoga races in a row in 1973. Pedlar piloted racecars owned by Ray Smith and Vern Nachreiner to victory at the Calistoga half-mile.
Mike McCreary was the 1968 and 1972 Northern Auto Racing Club Champion and an innovator in our sport. Building his own chassis under the name Oval Chassis Research, Mike was also the 1966 Northern Auto Racing Club Rookie of the Year and followed that with the Most Improved Driver in 1967. In addition, Mike was the first ever Calistoga Speedway Scarborough Award Winner, given to the Calistoga Speedway Track Champion. Mike was taken from us in 2004, but not before his name became indelibly linked with Northern California Sprint Car racing history.
Tickets for the popular event are $50.00 per person. A one of a kind video presentation, silent auction and vintage cars on display enlighten the festivities. Dinner offers a diverse menu featuring Tri-Tip, chicken, salad, veggies, potatoes, desert and wine and beer. Doors will open at 5 PM and dinner is scheduled to be served at 6:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased through HMC-Promotions by calling (916) 773-7225 Monday thru Friday 9 AM to 5 PM or Saturday 9 AM to 4 PM. No dinner tickets sold at the door. This event does sell out.