Full Throttle Motor Speedway

Full Throttle Motor Speedway @ Varney
Canada's Fastest 1/4 Mile High Banked Paved Oval
Location312853 Highway 6
Durham, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates44°07′31″N 80°48′06″W / 44.12520°N 80.80168°W / 44.12520; -80.80168
Capacity6000
OwnerPaul Trepanier
OperatorPaul Trepanier
Broke ground1969
OpenedJune 1970
ArchitectJoe and Tom Kennedy
Former namesVarney Motor Speedway (2011)

Varney Speedway Motorplex (2012-2013)
Full Throttle Motor Speedway (2014-2019)

Varney International Speedway (2020)
Major eventsCanada’s High Bank Nationals

Rick Woolner Memorial

Ontario Sportsman Series
Can-Am Midget Racing Series

Ontario Pro Challenge
Tri-Oval
SurfaceAsphalt
Length0.250 mi (0.402 km)
Banking33°
Race lap record12.06 seconds (Kent Nuhn, 2017)

Full Throttle Motor Speedway @ Varney (formerly Varney International Speedway) is a 1/4 mile high banked short track motor racing oval, located south of the village of Varney, in Durham, Ontario, Canada.[1] The track hosts a weekly Saturday night stock car racing program that runs from May to September each year.[2]

History

In 1966 brothers Joe and Tom Kennedy purchased a 35-acre property on Highway 6 south of Varney, Ontario.[3] In the fall of 1969 the track was constructed with paving, lights, drainage and the first grandstand. The speedway opened in June 1970 and was operated by the Kennedy family until 1985.[4][5]

New ownership took over the track in 2014 and renamed the facility Full Throttle Motor Speedway.[6]Former Racer, Gord Bennett, starting many improvements to the track which were later finished under new ownership, again in 2021.

During this time the track started a new developmental program dubbed the Kid Stock Division. This new division was used as a learning program for children ages 12+, who are stepping out of the Junior Late Model Division, to try their hand at racing a full sized car. The division was similar to the Bone Stock class, being a street car installed with necessary safety equipment such as a roll cage, the main difference being the ages of the drivers. The class was discontinued in the new ownership, after the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

In 2020 the track was renamed Varney International Speedway when ownership also took over the operation of Grand Bend International Speedway and received NASCAR sanctioning for both locations.[8]

In 2021, Paul Trepanier took over ownership of the Speedway and has recently made improvements to the facility, including removing the iconic double-decker grandstand in 2025, and stepping away from the NASCAR sanctioning.[9]

Speedway classes

The tracks weekly racing program features fifteen classes of racing:

  • Late Model
  • Retro Late Model
  • Junior Late Model
  • Super Stock
  • Street Stock
  • Fun Stock
  • Mini Stock
  • Kid Stock
  • Thunder Truck
  • Mini Truck
  • Junior Mini Truck
  • Outlaw Sprints
  • Junior Sprint
  • Legend Cars
  • Crazy Trains

The track also regularly features touring series including the Ontario Sportsman Series, OSCAAR Modifieds, Can-Am Midgets and the Ontario Pro Challenge.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Davis, Brent (July 29, 2014). "Full Throttle: New speedway owner puts pedal to the metal". The Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Cowan, Greg (April 25, 2019). "Full Throttle Speedway has big-tent plans". Owen Sound Sun Times. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  3. ^ "The History of Varney International Speedway". www.fullthrottlemotorspeedway.com. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  4. ^ "The Racing 'Family': Jim Bowman says motor Sports growing locally". The Wellington Advertiser. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Sharples, Rick. "Full Throttle Motor Speedway". Yesterday's Speedways - The History of Motorsports in Ontario Canada. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  6. ^ "Stock car: Varney Motor Speedway sold". Auto123.com. April 24, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  7. ^ ladybug388 (2019-12-09). "OBSERVATIONS: Full Throttle Motor Speedway Kid Stocks Season". Short Track Musings. Retrieved 2026-02-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ McCubbin, Ashley (April 7, 2020). "Statement from Gord Bennett, Owner of Grand Bend & Varney". Short Track Musings. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  9. ^ "About – Full Throttle Motor Speedway Varney Ontario". Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  10. ^ McCubbin, Ashley (November 19, 2019). "Full Throttle Motor Speedway Releases Tentative Varney, Grand Bend Schedule". Short Track Musings. Retrieved July 16, 2020.