Frank “Red” Tisdale began his racing at Digney Speedway in the mid-1950s. He could have been like many others and not distinguished himself in any way, except lasting with the various racing clubs and tracks that moved through the greater Vancouver area during the 1950s and 1960s, winning a heat race or dash here and there. But he also had another claim to fame. And that is how he came to be known at the track as “Wild Red” Tisdale.

Red Tisdale crashed, and he often rolled his cars over when he crashed. This isn’t to be taken lightly. One crash at Haney Speedway in 1961 ended up with the front end of Red’s car being knocked off and a couple of his ribs broken. The previous week it had been reported in the Haney Gazette that Red had rolled over twice during the afternoon racing. In those days trophies were awarded to those who turned “turtle” with their cars.

RED TISDALE - Inducted 2002

Pioneer - Oval Racing

By Brian Pratt - 2007

1961 Award winners, Haney Speedway, Tisdale standing left  (Brian Pratt collection)

Red Tisdale

wouldn’t ride one for any money. A week or so later Lee Kelly said Red had let him down -- no rollover and Red was going to try to rollercoaster.

Red carried on racing and holding various positions in the BCTRA executive through the 1960s. When he stopped racing people remember him as another colorful character who had made his mark on the track and various roofs of the cars he drove.

Red Tisdale successfully raced stock cars at Digney Speedway from the mid-1950s until the track closed down in 1958. He carried on racing into the early 1960s at the two tracks that followed Digney: False Creek and Haney Speedways. He is also touted to have been a thrill show stunt driver but more needs to be learned about him.

It was a heck of way for the vice president of the B.C. Track Racing Association to distinguish himself.

By 1966, then at Langley Speedway, Red Tisdale was reported to have earned over 100 rollover trophies. Reporter Lee Kelly, of the Burnaby Examiner, said he was called the “King of the Rollovers” and had never been hurt. Well, maybe, except for rib or two. But, according to Kelly, Red was “scared to death” of rollercoasters and