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| Photo Credit: Canada West Racing |
By Terry Guest, CWR Journalist
With the 2011 racing season closing in, #71 Dave Olson, is geared up and ready to go. Dave comes from the small town of Hixon, B.C. and is married to Brittany. They have one child with another on the way. Dave works at Johnston Equipment as the shop foreman in Commercial Transport. Dave became involved with cars at a young age; he spent lots of time at his dad’s auto wrecking company and watching his dad build cars. Dave’s dad always let people use his race cars, so Dave decided that he wanted to race one. At the age of 14, Dave started racing in the Bomber car class, which he raced for four years. After racing Bomber cars, Dave got the opportunity to race in the WESCAR Series, now known as the ARCA West OK Tire Sportsman Series.
2011 will be Dave's sixth season competing in ARCA. He stated, “Each year it has been getting more and more competitive and I feel that this year we should be fighting for top spot”.
I asked Dave about his favourite memory and he responded by saying, “My favourite memory in racing was when the WESCAR Series and the Katana Boat Sportsman Series got together for one race. There were 32 that started the main at Thunder Mountain Speedway, and it turned out to be one of the best races I have ever raced. If we could do that again I would be there! I lead the first half of the race then my brakes boiled and the car wasn’t the same. I ended up mid-field, but was still racing hard”.
Dave has many accomplishments, but two really stand out for him. The first great achievement was back when he raced in the Bomber car class. Dave won everything possible to win in one year at three different tracks! Dave won Rookie of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, Best Looking Car and, most importantly, the Championship. Dave also set two track records that year which are still in place to date. His second favourite achievement was winning last year at his favourite track; Williams Lake, in memory of Vern Ashley, who the year before helped Dave come from the very back of a 21 car field to second place. Vern passed away in 2011 in a fishing accident.
This season will find Dave continuing to compete in the ARCA West OK Tire Sportsman Series and also some races down south. Dave would to thank his crew; Doug, Steve, Rob, Mickey, Mike and Lloyd. Dave would also like to thank his sponsors; Cinema Second Hand, CO-OP, Nick Richter Trucking, CD Lee Trucking, Davis Transport, Darlyle Trucking, Black Water Timber, Fountain Tire Quesnel, HMC, B-2 Ranch and Too Loud Graphics.
Make sure to watch for the #71 special.