A Look Back
By Gerald Eden

Varney Motor Speedway started out as a dream of the Kennedy family of Varney 38 years ago. The 30 acre parcel of land lay dormant for years infested by weeds and twitch grass before the Kennedy family decided to purchase it and moved their business, Durham Three Way Demolition there. It was the late 1960’s and stock car racing seemed to take off. Dirt tracks at Williamsford, Model T Speedway and Jack Pot Speedway along with Sauble Speedway drew huge crowds. Teviotdale Speedway near Harriston was also going strong and even a track called Lip & John Mini Races started up back the Maplewood Cemetery Road by Harry Johnston. Joe Kennedy had dabbled in auto racing at Bridgeport Speedway in Kitchener and the family got hooked on the sport. With all this action so close to home, they decided to build a brand new paved track which was a huge undertaking. The entire family had a stake in the race track and sold some shares as well to get things started.

1970 Flagman - Rick Rickard of Brampton

I can remember as a kid sitting on the fence of our neighboring property watching a D8 cat and earth mover carve the track our of a hill fairly fast in the fall of 1969 and paving began in the spring. The first race in May 1970 saw corner #3 and 4 surrounded by a single guard rail and the front chute had a board fence. The pits were behind the back straight-away separated from the track by another board fence. The track was not finished but they were racing after the ribbon was cut by Durham Mayor Ken MacDonald. Corners #1 and 2 were on the very edge of the property as the Kennedys did not own the adjacent property yet.
In 1971 they rented the present pit area and finally bought it from the neighbor a year later. Huge crowds flocked to the race track and could not get enough of the high speed entertainment. I have pictures of some of the stands completely full and people standing 2-3 deep along the front fence. Adults paid $1 each from the car window as they came in the long driveway from highway 6.
A new overhead entrance sign was put up for the start of the 1972 season and the basic layout of the track has never changed. The original starters stand is still in use and most of the racing surface is the original asphalt. The track was widened for the 1986 season and turns 1 and 2 were repaved in 1990.
A new double decker grandstand with a roof was built in 1972 and none of the original stands are left. The pit area after it was moved behind 1 and 2 corners has been expanded 4 times. The old white garage between the canteen and the tire changer was actually a weigh scale and used for teching cars in the early years.
On the south end of the grand stand in corner 1, the first aid shack stood complete with a stretcher and Band-Aids. It was torn down in the mid 1990s.
Communication between the scoring tower and the pit shack was made by cranking an old wooden wall telephone. There was one on each end. Race nights were held on Saturday nights under the lights and Varney was only the second track north of Guelph to have this.
1957 Chevrolets, corvairs, mustangs and old coupes were common cars back in the day. It was more know how that made them go fast as there were not the race car shops of today.
The track was run by the Kennedy Family until 1985 when it was leased to Don Davidson until 1987. Tom Donnely ran the track from 1988 to 1996 and then the Hamilton Family leased the track for 5 years.
The present owners Ken and Joan McLellan bought the facility in 2001. The McLellan Family have made some huge improvements to the track including lighting, pit area, public address system, traffic lights and the list goes on and on.
I have been a spectator, reporter, line up and handicapper, race director and car owner at Varney and it has been a great ride. Hope you enjoyed this history lesson and enjoy the racing because it gets better all the time.