In the world of racing a mechanic can be like gold. A mechanic that can help get one driver some championship seasons, a second driver a third place in the points for another season and help send a third driver/mechanic’s illustrious career in the right direction is like platinum.

In a few short years at Digney Speedway Tommy Youngston made a significant contribution to the championships of Larry McBride at Digney Speedway. He also helped Don Bennett move up to being a championship contender. And Jim Marchant’s racing aspirations were helped as well.

Tommy Youngston came to the stock cars not a young enthusiast like most of the drivers, but as a man 40 years old, the owner of a Shell station at Main and 28^th. So it wasn’t like he didn’t have other things to do.

The Larry McBride car was owned by Tom Howe, described as the Jim Pattison of his day, a car dealership owner, a former bicycle racer and even a one-time Digney Speedway racer in the midgets. But even with good sponsorship it takes a lot of work to get a winning car to and from the track and maintained between the racing. All of that was the job of Tommy Youngston.

TOMMY YOUNGSTON - Inducted 2006

Pioneer - Oval Racing

Tommy Youngston with the Tom Howe - Larry McBride car  (Brian Pratt collection)

By Brian Pratt, 2006

Tommy Youngston

He flat-towed the stock car to and from the track behind the old ’49 Monarch and did the work himself. And that work proved itself with a 1952 and 1954 championship for Larry McBride at Digney Speedway. In the years 1953 and 1954 Tommy won trophies for outstanding mechanical abilities at the yearend B.C. Stock Car Association banquets. The trophies were presented by the Wynn’s Oil Company, a major sponsor at the track.

In 1955 Tommy was the mechanic for the no. 77 Ford of Don Bennett. Don won more races that year and was in contention for the points championship. One interesting story that relates to the type of work Tommy Youngston did

was that on the night before the championship race at Digney Speedway Don installed a light weight flywheel in the engine, what essentially was a cheater part. Troubled by the act Tommy then spent the rest of the night removing the flywheel so the car would be legal for the race. That was the type of person Don, and others, knew Tommy to be – honest. If his cars beat you then you were beaten by a legal car.

In that time at Digney Speedway Tommy also had time to build a miniature racer for his young son, Barry – all dressed up in the racing attire of the day – to do some demonstration laps around Digney between the races.

The last season Tommy Youngston was a mechanic at Digney Speedway was in 1956 for Jim Marchant. It was Marchant’s second season. His, and the rest of the crew’s, appreciation for Tommy’s help was shown by a specially made trophy given to Tommy by the team.

Tommy moved on to other endeavours over the years but his time at the track helped inspire son Barry to put in a number of years as part of the pit crew for Jim Marchant’s various modifieds at Langley Speedway. If a son following in his father’s footsteps isn’t platinum then nothing is.