HISTORY


Agassiz Speedway (formerly known as Kent Raceways) is located just outside of Agassiz, BC. (you can get there by heading towards Harrison Hot Springs and then follow the signs 5km before Harrison) Kent Raceways Society is a non-profit society committed to furthering motor sports in general and stock car racing in the Fraser Valley.
     In 1957 the first track was located down by the Fraser river, off Tranmer Road. Constructed by a horse drawn Champion grader, pulled by a 6 x 6 truck (logging truck), or two 8N Ford tractors and one Jubilee tractor. The track was 3/10 of a mile, sand oval with 20 degree banking in the corners, and was around a burrow pit (a pit created when the gravel is dug out, leaving a hole in the sand).
     About 12 cars competed on a regular basis. Larry Vogstad in his Ford, went swimming in the water pit from a friendly nerf from Keith Hardy's Dodge.
     The first car to run on the track, did not even have a cage. After the car rolled, on the first time around the track, racing was delayed until cages were installed in the remaining cars. The rule book was adopted from Digney Speedway (in Burnaby just off Kingsway).
     The track was forced to suspend racing, when the land owner lost the land to a finance company in 1959. 1957 racers included: Bob Trout, Lloyd Stryker, Bill Magill, Larry Vogstad, Keith Hardy, Walter Mcinroy, Donnie Appel, Jeremy Heal, Bruce Campbell, Ed North, Bunk Mackay, Roy Ditchburn, Tommy Thelin, Ken Witherspoon, Arnie Martin and Sig Martin.
     The racers were originally know as the "PISTON PILOTS". The track was also briefly known as UVOTA (Upper Valley Oval Track Association) but the name KENT RACEWAYS SOCIETY was finally registered in 1974. Bunk Mackay was instrumental in establishing the original track in 1957, and was an important part of forming the KENT RACEWAYS SOCIETY.
     Racing in Agassiz was halted for several years while a new location was found with the support of the KENT MUNICIPALITY. The new track was built at our present location, Cemetary Road, in the spring of 1970. Equipment was loaned to the track by KENT BULLDOZING (Mel Geyer and his son Billy Geyer), a grader was supplied by Karl Krum.
     The first race was held in June of 1970, on a dirt/dust track. The 2/10 of a mile track made its way around the tree trunks and a trap shoot pit. A total of 12 cars competed on the clay oval, of those 9 were station wagons.
     Expansion was badly needed, so the trap and some stumps were removed to make it 1158 feet around in the winter of 1971.
     About 15 MINI STOCKS also raced at Kent Raceways, from 1973 to about 1976. They belonged to a Vancouver club that ran mostly indoors at the AGRIDOME. Racers such as Al Pendergast, Murray Chambers, Pringle, Taylor, Neil Williams and Al Arley were among the drivers of this group.
     In 1974, the track was upgraded, widened to 40 feet and graded regularly. Clay  was trucked in and a water truck was acquired to subdue the dust.
     In 1978 the club embarked on a very ambitious project to pave the track to a super elevated 1/4 mile oval, 55 feet wide with a depressed pit area in the center.
     The members loaned matching funds of $5000 to the club, allowing the club to obtain a loan from the bank for the remainder of the monies required.
     Originally there was only one class of cars, HOBBY STOCK in 1988, a lottery grant helped to erect new bleachers and a concession stand. In 1990, we welcomed a new class the MINI STOCKS ( sub-compact cars). In 1992 the STREET STOCK class and MINI MODIFIED classes were added.
     In the fall of 2000, the club proceeded with our latest project, the expansion of the track to a true 1/4 paved oval. The track surface was extended west at the #1/2 corner (Poraykos Corner) and repaved. The enlarged pit area allowed for a new on/off lane. Traffic lights at the flagstand and #3 corner were installed and new washrooms in the pits have been constructed.
     We have continued to improve our facilities. In 2002 we extended the cement wall on the back stretch, extended the catch fence through corner #1 and built a cement wall along #1 corner of the pits.
     In 2003 we installed street lights around the track surface and introduced true 'night time racing under the lights' with the use of generators to power the lights.
     In 2004 we continued to expand our bleacher area  and  added more track lighting.
     2005 saw the arrival of hydro lines to the track allowing us to "retire" our generators. The club also obtained and is now running our own concession service. A new economical entry level class, the Hornets, was added to our existing Sportsman, Street Stock and Mini Stock classes.
      As well as our regular classes we feature other visiting classes such as the VINTAGE MODIFIEDS, OLD TIME RACERS , Dwarf cars etc.