MedHat Speedway hosting memorial race Saturday for former driver

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on August 6, 2022.

The Medicine Hat Speedway is hosting the inaugural Dean Wakshinsky Memorial race Saturday at the speedway.

The race is in honour of Wakshinsky, who passed away in July 2021 and was a big part of the speedway according to its president Curtis Bigelow.

“We’ve had other memorials for other drivers before but Dean was more than just a driver,” Bigelow said. “He did a lot of stuff out at the track, he was always there. I’m the president now and I live in Brooks. He was vital to me, because if something was going on out there, he was out there. I didn’t have to come from Brooks to find out or figure it out.”

Bigelow said it will be a big night for Wakshinsky’s family who will be in attendance, as will be his car, which the late driver had all ready for a race that came two weeks after he died.

“His car that he used to race, he painted it like the Hulk for a kid Daniel who is in a wheelchair. He painted to cut his car the turquoise and purple just for Daniel because that’s Daniels superhero,” Bigelow said.

Bigelow said Daniel will also be in attendance and will be celebrating his birthday while at the track. The memorial race will feature street and hobby stock cars, V6, BBG and Mini cups races.

Bigelow, who is also racing Saturday, said Wakshinsky would be happy if he won but would also be really happy with where the Medicine Hat speedway is going.

“Dean would be happy with the way that the track is going now and the direction we’ve been going,” Bigelow said. “That’s what he always wanted, he only wanted to track to do good and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Saturday’s race gets underway at 6 p.m. at the Speedway.

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