GIL RICHARDSON by Cheri Hill
I thought I would take a minute to join you in remembering Vallejo Speedway. I grew up there. Who was my favorite driver? Gil Richardson, my dad. My mom and I this last week have been going through all my mom's photos of dad's racing at Vallejo Speedway. My mom is LuAnn Richardson, who won 3 out of the 4 women's destruction derbies at Vallejo Speedway. She also won almost all the powder puff races she was in.
We have over 8 albums of photos that I've been scanning to preserve. She has an amazing memory of all the drivers, car numbers, etc. She also has tons of newspaper articles. One of interest was that Vallejo Speedway had to do their timing for qualifying by hand because their device was sent to Vietnam by request of the government. The article talks about how the device is coming back finally to use for qualifying.
My dad was a truck-driving, hard-charging, never-give-up driver. Many years he would drive for other people, and many years he would build his own cars. We would always have a hardtop in the backyard gutted out ready to be built into a racecar if dad needed it. We used to make a playhouse out of it until he needed it.
I remember being the trophy girl at the age of 10 for Phil Pedlar. My dad was in the trophy dash that night with Phil. They dueled it out and I was sitting on the back of a convertible waiting off of turn 4 praying my dad would win.
Well, he didn't. He placed 2nd. I did not like Phil Pedlar at that age, and my dad came over to the car and told me, "You go give that man his trophy, he earned it. By the way, Smile about it!" I hated that, lol.
I was always in the garage with dad working on his cars. He taught me to weld at the age of 10.
Back in those days racing was such a family affair. Every year they had the CARF Club picnics for all the families. These were some of my fondest memories. Tons of bench racing, kids' games, and food all day. They used to be held at Castle Rock Park in Walnut Creek. I remember so many nights after the races going to the China Barn in Vallejo. They would have to put 8 or 9 tables together to accommodate everyone. My dad was a very well-liked driver. It was so hard when he quit racing for my mom. After 30 years of racing, all their friends were racers.
In 2000 there was a Vallejo Speedway Reunion. My family and I attended to receive an award for my dad. So many memories. Unfortunately my dad passed away in 1995 at the age of 63. His sense of humor had carried on with me and my kids. One of his complaints was, "If I knew I would live this long, I wouldn't have used up my body that fast."
He left the hardtops for sprint cars in 1968, and raced at Calistoga Speedway with his dad and him running the "Pop's Pension" No. 17 sprint car. Bolt-on roll cages, no less. I still have his goggles, handmade tear-offs, and the handkerchief he used to cover his mouth.
He had to retire from racing in 1975 due to health reasons. He would never go to a race again. If he couldn't compete, he didn't want to watch.
He only went back to watch when I started driving 360 sprint cars. He was able to see me race a handful of times, and saw me get my first win at Antioch Speedway in 1994. I ran his number, 17. I retired from racing in 2010 after 17 years. My son, Shawn Arriaga, is now driving my car, 17. He is carrying on what my dad started. My dad was and still is my hero. His biggest lesson to me was, "Cheri, you have to learn how to finish before you can learn how to win."
Going over all the photos with my mom brings back all the drivers' names and car numbers. Dad was adamant about mom always buying photos of his racing. Mom worked for days prior to the Vallejo Speedway reunion to get all the photos in order and labeled with all the drivers and car numbers. She had the biggest collection of photos at the reunion.
I value my dad's persistent to buy photos, and I know the reason is so these can be carried on and viewed by everyone to enjoy.
Thanks for this forum for me to remember the good ole days.
Cheri Hill (Richardson)
Talking about nick names....My dad, Gil Richardson's nick name was "The Silver Fox" Richardson. While going through his old photos with my mom, I asked her why that was his nick name when he wasn't really "gray."
She said he was starting to get gray around the edges, and Jack Clayton, a good friend and announcer, teased him about it and started calling him "The Silver Fox."
Earlier years he was called "The Metracal Kid." My dad was a Hamm's beer lover....being a little stocky, he went on a diet. Metracal was a diet drink back in the day.
Well, on the back of one of his cars he had painted the Hamm's Beer bear holding a can of Metracal.
I thought I would take a minute to join you in remembering Vallejo Speedway. I grew up there. Who was my favorite driver? Gil Richardson, my dad. My mom and I this last week have been going through all my mom's photos of dad's racing at Vallejo Speedway. My mom is LuAnn Richardson, who won 3 out of the 4 women's destruction derbies at Vallejo Speedway. She also won almost all the powder puff races she was in.
We have over 8 albums of photos that I've been scanning to preserve. She has an amazing memory of all the drivers, car numbers, etc. She also has tons of newspaper articles. One of interest was that Vallejo Speedway had to do their timing for qualifying by hand because their device was sent to Vietnam by request of the government. The article talks about how the device is coming back finally to use for qualifying.
My dad was a truck-driving, hard-charging, never-give-up driver. Many years he would drive for other people, and many years he would build his own cars. We would always have a hardtop in the backyard gutted out ready to be built into a racecar if dad needed it. We used to make a playhouse out of it until he needed it.
I remember being the trophy girl at the age of 10 for Phil Pedlar. My dad was in the trophy dash that night with Phil. They dueled it out and I was sitting on the back of a convertible waiting off of turn 4 praying my dad would win.
Well, he didn't. He placed 2nd. I did not like Phil Pedlar at that age, and my dad came over to the car and told me, "You go give that man his trophy, he earned it. By the way, Smile about it!" I hated that, lol.
I was always in the garage with dad working on his cars. He taught me to weld at the age of 10.
Back in those days racing was such a family affair. Every year they had the CARF Club picnics for all the families. These were some of my fondest memories. Tons of bench racing, kids' games, and food all day. They used to be held at Castle Rock Park in Walnut Creek. I remember so many nights after the races going to the China Barn in Vallejo. They would have to put 8 or 9 tables together to accommodate everyone. My dad was a very well-liked driver. It was so hard when he quit racing for my mom. After 30 years of racing, all their friends were racers.
In 2000 there was a Vallejo Speedway Reunion. My family and I attended to receive an award for my dad. So many memories. Unfortunately my dad passed away in 1995 at the age of 63. His sense of humor had carried on with me and my kids. One of his complaints was, "If I knew I would live this long, I wouldn't have used up my body that fast."
He left the hardtops for sprint cars in 1968, and raced at Calistoga Speedway with his dad and him running the "Pop's Pension" No. 17 sprint car. Bolt-on roll cages, no less. I still have his goggles, handmade tear-offs, and the handkerchief he used to cover his mouth.
He had to retire from racing in 1975 due to health reasons. He would never go to a race again. If he couldn't compete, he didn't want to watch.
He only went back to watch when I started driving 360 sprint cars. He was able to see me race a handful of times, and saw me get my first win at Antioch Speedway in 1994. I ran his number, 17. I retired from racing in 2010 after 17 years. My son, Shawn Arriaga, is now driving my car, 17. He is carrying on what my dad started. My dad was and still is my hero. His biggest lesson to me was, "Cheri, you have to learn how to finish before you can learn how to win."
Going over all the photos with my mom brings back all the drivers' names and car numbers. Dad was adamant about mom always buying photos of his racing. Mom worked for days prior to the Vallejo Speedway reunion to get all the photos in order and labeled with all the drivers and car numbers. She had the biggest collection of photos at the reunion.
I value my dad's persistent to buy photos, and I know the reason is so these can be carried on and viewed by everyone to enjoy.
Thanks for this forum for me to remember the good ole days.
Cheri Hill (Richardson)
Talking about nick names....My dad, Gil Richardson's nick name was "The Silver Fox" Richardson. While going through his old photos with my mom, I asked her why that was his nick name when he wasn't really "gray."
She said he was starting to get gray around the edges, and Jack Clayton, a good friend and announcer, teased him about it and started calling him "The Silver Fox."
Earlier years he was called "The Metracal Kid." My dad was a Hamm's beer lover....being a little stocky, he went on a diet. Metracal was a diet drink back in the day.
Well, on the back of one of his cars he had painted the Hamm's Beer bear holding a can of Metracal.
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Thanks Cheri for your great synopsis!