THOROLD, ON – Last Season on the day Bill Willard Senior would have turned 94 – his great grandson Cody McPherson won the annual Sterling Silver Award at Merrittville Speedway, an award established by former racer Ken Walsh honoring the racing pioneer.
2012 is the 23rd edition of the Sterling Silver Award and of all the previous winners – Greg Panunte (1995), Brandon Easey (2008, 2010) and McPherson are the only drivers still active in the division. The Larry Czinege we see today is the son of former Champion and 2 time Sterling Silver Trophy Winner Larry Czinege Sr.
The Sterling Silver Award is an annual award created by former Sportsman Competitor Ken Walsh in 1990 after the St. Catharines resident got his start in racing and had so much help from Bill Willard Senior. Walsh’s efforts honor the memory of area racing pioneer Bill Willard Senior.
Beginning in the 1950’s the Willard family got its start in the local racing scene when Bill Willard Senior quickly became an accomplished car owner for drivers including Don Taylor, Bev MacTavish, Stan Friesen, George Winger and Terry Edwards while at the same time providing towing service through Willard & Son Towing which is now CAA Niagara.
Fast forward to the 1970’s and the cars Bill Sr. and his son Al would own and maintain would be those driven by the family’s third generation … Bill Willard and later his sister Tammy. Today Bill’s son BJ sits in third behind his cousin – current Original Pizza Logs Sportsman Point Leader Cody McPherson in the overall standings.
Sterling Silver Winners
1990 Doug Gordon
1991 Larry Czinege
1992 Larry Czinege
1993 Cliff Warner
1994 Don Martin
1995 Greg Panunte
1996 Bill Krull
1997 Bill Podwinski
1998 Chad Brachmann
1999 Chad Brachmann
2000 Joe Meisel
2001 Chad Brachmann
2002 Rob Pietz
2003 Bob Davidson
2004 Martin Polhill
2005 Bill Willard Jr
2006 Mat Williamson
2007 Mat Williamson
2008 Brandon Easey
2009 Chad Chevalier
2010 Brandon Easey
2011 Cody McPherson
Showtime Saturday August 25th is at 7:00 with the gates opening at 5:30.
From Jim Irvine / Merrittville Speedway
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