Memorable finishes to starting careers
Steve DeVos, Barry Davidson became track officials after their driving careers
Steve DeVos descended the flag tower at Merrittville Speedway for the final time on Reunion Night.
To describe the occasion as a banner achievement for a man who spent eight years waving the flags as the official starter would not be an overstatement. Who else gets inducted into a wall of fame on the very night they retire.
That wasn’t so supposed to be the case. DeVos and fellow driver-turned-starter Barry Davidson were originally scheduled to see their names added to the Merrittville Speedway Wall of Fame on July 12.
However, that show was rained out and, by happy coincidence, the makeup date coincided with DeVos’ final night.
The Leamington native, who raced Bombers, Pro Stock and Sportsman at Merrittville from 1982 to 2003, is retiring after 13 years as a track official to spend more time with his wife Laurie.
“It’s time for a new face up there,” he said. “My wife sacrificed a lot.”
Spending the past 20 years travelling throughout North America as a long-haul trucker for Voortman Cookies contributed to his decision to step away from racing.
“That figures into the deal, too,” DeVos said. “Sometimes, I’m not getting home until Saturday.”
He admitted that staying away from the track won’t be easy
“Tonight’s a bittersweet night, I’m going to miss being part of the program,” the 55-year-old Welland resident said. “But I think the track needs a fresh face up there.”
“After a certain length of time, I think it’s good to turn your officials over.”
Before succeeding Doug Leonard as the official starter, DeVos spent three years driving the pace car, two assistant starter and one as the official responsible for the infield.
From time to time, he expects to help Sportsman driver Brad Rouse in the pits.
DeVos was 40 when he stopped racing.
“Basically, they stopped running the Pro Stock class here and Humberstone,” he recalled. “It was move up to Sportsman or run down in the States somewhere.
“I didn’t like those options. It was time.”
He quipped that returning to the track as an official after twoplus decades as a driver was going to the “evil side.”
To say the least, seeing the race from the flag tower was an eyeopener for DeVos. There was a lot to learn about being a starter.
“Way more than people think, it’s not just waving flags,” he said. “Basically, between yourself and the race director you control what’s going on on the track.
“But you also have to be concerned about their safety, there are just so many factors, constantly just watching for stuff.”
His racing background “definitely prepared” him for the starter’s role.
“I think that helped a lot,” he said. “Just because there is contact on the track that doesn’t necessarily mean it was intentional. “I know that, because I’ve on both sides of it.”
Have flags, will travel
Barry Davidson would have had the best seat in the house at four auto racing tracks.
He never had the chance to sit down, however.
As official starter at Merrittville, New Humberstone and Ransomville speedways, as well as at the former Speedway Park in his native Hamilton, Davidson had a demanding job that kept him on his toes for nearly 40 years.
The 65-year-old Merrittville Speedway Wall of Famer credited his seven years as a driver to helping him become a starter.
“It’s beneficial that you raced before, because you know what the drivers are thinking,” the second generation in a four-generation racing family said.
Davidson, now a member of grandson Dylan’s Sportsman pit crew, recalled with a chuckle that he didn’t have trouble forgetting about being behind the wheel once he picked up the flags.
“I wasn’t one of the best drivers, it didn’t take very long,” he said with a laugh.
Starters and race directors work hand-in-hand to keep the action moving and the drivers safe.
What makes a good starter? “Pay attention and have a good team behind you,” he said. Decisiveness is also important. “You only have four or five seconds to make a call,” Davidson said. “It takes them 17 seconds to get around the track, so you have to make a decision.”
A thick skin doesn’t hurt either.
“Every driver doesn’t like to be told to do something, every driver thinks they’re right,” he said. “So obviously there are going to be times when you disagree.”
During his career as a track official, Davidson made a point of nipping problems in the bud by visiting drivers after a controversial call. He didn’t want a disagreement to linger longer than necessary.
“Sometimes, you get yelled at; sometimes, you get yelled at and we drink beer together,” said Davidson.
It’s been Davidson’s experience that there is no correlation between a willingness to make a point by making contact and the cost of the race cars.
“Racers are crazy, money means nothing,” he said. “We’re here to win, you don’t think dollars and cents when you’re wearing a helmet.
“You worry about that Sunday morning, but you don’t worry about that Saturday night.”