Allan
Willard-AChampionship Car Owner for Bill jr. &Tammy Willard@
The Merrittville Speedway Wall of Fame, all
started twenty years ago this season ,in 1990 ,when the owners of
Merrittville Speedway, the Irvine Family, organized a gathering of
Alumni to honour members of our racing family who had devoted decades
pursuing their love for stock car racing. Jeno Begolo, Ivan Little &
Bill Willard Sr. were these people. Bill Willard Sr. was a car-owner
who=s passion for stock car racing was shared not only by his wife
Annie, but also son Allan and daughter Betty. During the 1950's and
1960's Willard=s Auto Wreckers and Towing fielded bright red stock cars
for drivers such as Don Taylor, George Winger, Bev MacTavish and Terry
Edwards. It was during this period that the now famous #77 and #777
were born. During the 1970's however the family=s passion for stock car
racing passed on to the third generation.
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Allan and Laura=s son Bill Willard Jr.
showed interest in racing and under the support of Grandpa Bill, Bill
Willard Jr. showed up at Merrittville with a stock car, painted red with
#77 on the doors. It wasn=t long before Bill Jr. was moved up to the
unlimited 6 cylinder sportsman class in a 1933 Ford coupe. At this
point, Bill Willard Sr., Annie, Allan and Laura were supporting the
budding career of Bill Jr. but by the 1980's Tammy, Bill=s sister was
racing go-karts with the Virgil Kart Club and the racing bug was
catching on. The Willard Family again supported Tammy=s moving up to
the Abomber division@ and after apprenticing in that division, Tammy
moved up to the, you guessed it, Sportsman division. We now had the 77
jr and 77 jr.ette racing in the sportsman division under the watchful
eye of Grandpa Bill Sr. and father Allan.
At this point in time, Willard and Son
Towing had evolved into the CAA towing service founded by Bill Sr. with
Annie becoming its first dispatcher. The Willard family lived on First
St. Louth, having moved from Rockway where they operated the CAA towing
fleet and the Willard Racing Team.
Bill Jr.=s and
Tammy=s racing careers in the Sportsman division were evolving under
family guidance but in 1990, Bill Sr. was diagnosed with cancer and
later passed away. After Bill Sr.=s passing the family regrouped and
under the watchful eye of Allan, Laura and Annie, the CAA towing
business continued to evolve and grow and so did the careers of Bill Jr.
and Tammy with their racing at area ovals especially at their home
track- Merrittville Speedway.
Allans passion for racing carried over from
his father Bill Sr. where he continued to field sportsman racers in the
1990's for Bill Jr., Tammy and even son-in-law Guy McPherson in the 777
who caught the sportsman division racing bug. By the new millenium,
Tammy, Bill Jr. and Guy had enjoyed much success in the sportsman
division, collecting track championships at area ovals, including
Merrittville Speedway.
Not only was Allan mentoring sportsman
division racing, but Tammy, Guy and Bill Jr. were mentoring the next
generation of Willard Racing as Tyler McPherson enjoyed a very
successful karting career at Merrittville and by 2004 with multiple
Merrittville karting championships in hand, moved up to the Hoosier
Stock division, driving a Mike Granton prepared 777 Camaro, sponsored by
the McPherson family trucking business. In a short period of time Tyler
adapted to the Merrittville oval and other area tracks winning 2
championship titles in 2005. For 2006 under the watchful eye of Allan,
Bill Jr., Guy ,
and Tammy,
Tyler moved up to the sportsman division under the Willard-McPherson
family 777. The fourth generation of AWillard Racing@ was now racing
sportsman stock cars.
After racing for 4 decades and two
Merrittville track championships, Bill Willard Jr. decided to hang up
his helmet but not before winning the Bill Willard Sr. Memorial feature
race on Labour Day weekend 2005, in his new Bicknell, won at the 2004
banquet. After the season finished Bill=s son B.J. having raced
go-karts, met with grandfather Allan, father Bill Jr. and it was decided
to let B.J. race the 77 Jr. in the sportsman division as a rookie.
For 2006 Tyler=s brother Cody also after
racing go-karts, moved into the 777 Mike Granton Camaro, for his turn at
the wheel. So after a couple of seasons learning his way around
Merrittville=s oval, Cody ,as well, decided that he would join his
cousin and brother in the sportsman division.
These young racers have come a long way in
short period of time where these fourth generation drivers are carrying
on a family tradition that started in the 1950's under great grandfather
Bill Sr., with as many as 4 cars; #77 Terry Edwards, #78 Stan Friesen,
#79 Allan Willard and #777 Bev MacTavish.
Today Cody McPherson #7, B.J. Willard #77,
and Tyler McPherson #777 some 6 decades later are keeping the Willard
Racing legacy alive in the sportsman division at Merrittville Speedway
under the watchful eye of Grandpa Allan.
Tonight Allan, it is your turn to take your
place alongside your father Bill Sr. And daughter Tammy, on the
Merrittville Speedway Alumni Wall of Fame. Your leadership in keeping
your father=s passion for stock car racing alive at Merrittville
Speedway with the fourth generation. Whether on the track, providing
towing, or a stage for our 59th Anniversary-Reunion night, the CAA has
always been there to help. The difficult part for Allan and Laura is
sitting in the grandstands cheering for 3 grandsons in the same
feature. In fact, Tyler=s 777 won the 40 lap sportsman AKing of the
Crates Arace on June 19, 2010.
Congratulations Allan from the Merrittville
Speedway Racing family on this evening of celebrating 59 years of
continuous Saturday night dirt track racing and your induction on to the
Merrittville Speedway Alumni Wall of Fame, sponsored by L. St. Amand
Enterprises, CAA Niagara, Auto F/X and Lucas Oil.
