BURSTA dominant force in stock car racing on Vancouver Island, with his success ultimately leading to NASCAR opportunities, Victoria driver Gary Kershaw is among the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame class of 2025.
Kershaw started out karting in 1958 before winning Rookie of the Year in the stock car division at Western Speedway in 1961. He was the driver to beat in the mid-1960s before winning the Stock Car championships in 1967 and 1968, with nine wins in 15 main events in ‘68.
Kershaw advanced to Super Stocks the following season, racing in the Pacific Northwest NASCAR super stock circuit and winning six of eight main events and the championship, while picking up another Stock Car title at Western Speedway. He had a busy 1970 season, debuting on the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman tour, where he had four wins. He also won the Apple Cup at Yakima Speedway, Elscan 100 Championship at Evergreen Speedway, picked up two wins at Langley Speedway, multiple wins at Western, and a victory at the Grandview Bowl. He won 13 of 15 main events overall.
In 1971, Kershaw won two NASCAR Late Model Sportsman races, including the Permatex 200 at Riverside International Raceway in California. He won the Northwest International Drivers Challenge Championship and raced at five different tracks, claiming a Super Stock title at Western. He was voted that year’s Victoria Male Athlete of the Year. He remained a regular winner over the next two seasons at Evergreen and Western, including victories in prestigious events.
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Kershaw continued to compete and win in special races in 1974, while claiming the Super Stock title at Western. He won the track’s Corby Cup for most main event wins, recording 21 straight main event victories. He won the Corby Cup again in 1975 before deciding to retire. He briefly came out of retirement for regional NASCAR action in 1981-82, where he also made a NASCAR Cup Series start, finishing 12th at Riverside.
Also an inductee into the Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame and the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, Kershaw is the sixth Greater Victoria racer inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame alongside Billy Foster, Grant King, Roy Smith, Jack Smith and Dick Midgley.
Find the Hall of Fame online at cmhf.ca.
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