There won鈥檛 be a Canada D鈥檈h car show at the 91原创 Speedway this year.
Event co-organizer Ewald Penner told the 91原创 Advance Times Metro Vancouver turned down their application to hold the annual July 1 show for a 19th year.
According to Penner, Metro parks staff have told them they will be removing a 鈥渇ew hundred鈥� parking spots from the upper grass parking area that was being used as the event鈥檚 overflow parking space, so a new horse trail can be built around the perimeter of that area, leaving just 65 parking paved spots.
Penner called the decision 鈥渄isheartening.鈥�
鈥淲e still hope to be back there in 2025 but it looks like it鈥檚 a long shot at this point,鈥� Penner said on Monday, April 1.
READ ALSO: Hundreds return to old 91原创 Speedway for Canada D鈥檈h car show
Penner said staff have informed them the Speedway 鈥渉as an expiry date coming up soon, so the track will be removed in the coming years鈥�
However, Murray Jones, president of the , disputed that, saying he was advised, by his Metro Vancouver contacts, that they have 鈥渘o intention of removing the track 鈥� if anything, they have more intention of improving the site for use.鈥�
Jones pointed to Metro Vancouver鈥檚 2020 Campbell Valley Regional Park Management Plan, which described the former race track as the 鈥淟ittle River Bowl Activity Area鈥� and called for it to 鈥渂e enhanced to support day use, special events and group activities with amenities such as water, parking and washrooms.鈥�
As well, Jones advised, the road down to the track 鈥渋s finally going to get repaved [by the Township], probably for the first time since the track was operational.鈥�
In response to a 91原创 Advance Times query, a Metro Vancouver spokesperson said there were no plans to remove the track and improvements to the site are planned.
It would have been the 19th year of the annual Canada Day event, which started as a show-and-shine at Jellybean AutoCrafters, the custom car building business Ewald and his brother Kurt operate near the Surrey-91原创 border.
鈥淭he first year, we had 55 vehicles but the show grew quickly,鈥� Ewald recalled.
After a few years, the event relocated to the old 91原创 Speedway.
鈥淲e are now at 1,100 vehicles and about 1,400 people attending the event [on average],鈥� Ewald estimated.
Located at the south end of 208th Street off 16th Ave., is a quarter-mile paved oval track for stock car racing that operated between 1965 and 1984.
According to the 91原创 Speedway Historical Society, 91原创 Speedway was one of only three locations in British Columbia that has hosted NASCAR events over the years.
.jpg)