Postcard Memories is a series of historic views, stories and photos of Innisfil, a trip down memory lane on a Saturday morning.
Sunset International Speedway, just 40 minutes from Toronto, is the closest motor sports facility to race fans in Central Ontario. Since its birth in 1968, Sunset Speedway has produced some of Canada’s top stock car racers: NASCAR drivers Mark Dilley, Peter Gibbons, and Kerry Micks, as well as Canadian legends Jr. Hanley and the late Don Biederman. Stock car racing is the most-watched sport in the world, ahead of football, baseball, soccer, and hockey.
Brian and Sandra Todish, along with Ernie Rinomato and partners, purchased Sunset Speedway in May 2009. Since that time, they have invested significant funds (millions) to upgrade the facility. There have been many fan comfort improvements, including grandstands and cement walkways, as well as general overall appearance upgrades.
At season end in 2009, the existing track asphalt was ground out, walls were removed, and it was extended 50 feet. A pit road was added for future hosting of traveling series events. The track has been resurfaced and is now a 1/3 mile high-banked oval—a track considered to be the best in the country.
A staff of 60 is required to keep everything going smoothly over the racing season—28 Saturday nights plus some Sundays as well. One hundred drivers and their families, travelling from all over the province, arrive to compete in the four different racing categories. A regular Saturday night could see from 1,500 to 2,000 in attendance.
In 2015, Brian and Sandra Todish became the operators and owners. Sunset Speedway celebrated its 50th anniversary during the summer of 2018 and continues into 2020 providing outstanding entertainment to its fans, topnotch good facilities for its drivers, and full value for its many sponsors.
—Sandra Todish, September 2019, photo credit Bill Warnica exert from Innisfil Historical Review Bicentennial Edition 2020
