Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame announces Class of 2025 Inductees

PETITCODIAC, NB – Organizers of the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame (MMHF) are pleased to announce its 10 new inductees who comprise the Class of 2025. Each is recognized for significant accomplishments and contributions to Maritime motorsports. They will be officially enshrined in the hallowed Hall at a ceremony planned for November 15 at the Rodd Royalty in Charlottetown; it will be the 19th annual gala celebration for the MMHF.

From New Brunswick

• Gary Bursey / Competitor (Stock Car)

• Roy Greenlaw / Builder & Contributor (Stock Car)

• Paul Miller / Competitor (Crew Member)

From Nova Scotia

• Gary Elliott / Competitor (Stock Car)

• John Howard / Competitor (Stock Car, Drag Racing)

• Dave Smith / Competitor, Owner, Builder (Road Racing)

From Prince Edward Island

• William G. Campbell / Competitor (Drag Racing)

• Gerald Hensley Caseley, Sr., / Builder (Karts)

• Bert Webster (Bertie) / Competitor (Stock Car, Snowmobile, Tractor Pull)

These new inductees will join 170 individuals and clubs already welcomed as MMHF alumni since the organization’s inception in 2006. Each has been selected by members of the current year’s Induction Committee. And each was nominated by their peers before that. Many thanks to all those who have contributed to the nomination process.

Tickets are available for the Induction Ceremony by calling 506-756-2110. The dress code is formal. It starts at 5:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m., and the ceremony at 7:30 p.m.

Brief bios for each of the members of the Class of 2025 follow (in alphabetical order):

Gary Bursey: He started racing in 1964 with a Studebaker when River Glade Speedway was built. He raced a 1956 Pontiac and a 1965 Chevelle. He also raced at Hammond River, Brookside, and Danny’s Speedbowl. He had a brief stay away, but came back when the Mini Stock class became popular. He extended the race tracks to Truro, Halifax, and a special event at Riverside Speedway for a Maritime Mini Stock Championship, which he won. In 1999, he bought his first Legend Car in Charlotte, North Caroline, and started racing in the USA. He raced the Winter Nationals at Orlando Motor Speedway and several other tracks during the winter months. He raced Legends Cars in the summer months at his home tracks in the Maritimes for 16 years. In 2006, he purchased a pro stock car and raced it one year with the Maritime Pro Stock Tour series, while still running the Legends Car – on occasion both cars on the same night. He has raced against some youngsters who went on to become NASCAR Cup Series winners – Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Bubba Wallace. In 2007, he raced the Thunder Rooster Cars as part of the US Legend Series that raced on road courses. He raced in two different winter nationals at Sebring Florida International Speedway, and Homestead Motor Speedway Road course. He retired in 2018, at 74, due to health issues.

William G. Campbell: Born in Surry, PEI, and moved to Saint John, NB at an early age. Bought his first car, at age 16, a ‘56 Ford. Started racing at Penfield, when it first opened. In 1980, he acquired the infamous 1969, 428 Cobra Jet Fairlane convertible. TCar was built by Ed Markel of New Jersey. It was Bill’s pride and joy; he raced it until he sold it in 2015, and he then retired. Bill and his family traveled over 200K from Eastern Canada and the US for Divisional and National events. In 1982, Bill, with much support from several other teachers started the High School Drag racing program in the Maritimes.

Gerald Hensley Caseley, Sr.: Recognition for the development of Kart racing in the Maritimes. He has participated as a driver, track manager, team owner, kart dealer, engine builder, mechanic, coach and race promoter from 1983 to the present day. From 1993-1997, Gerald’s venue was stock car racing at Oyster Bed Speedway, PEI, where he won a number of races. In 2006, following careers in the Canadian Armed Forces and entrepreneurship, he made racing his full-time livelihood by managing East Coast Karting, the karting track in Moncton, NB. In 2010, he began to organize a kart racing team from the Maritimes to travel to Ontario and Quebec for national-level competition. This provided the Maritime karts with an opportunity to get high-level experience and improve their skills. It also put Maritime karting on the map as local racers were able to compete with the best in the country and win a great many races. Gerald is one of the top-level kart mechanics in North America. He bought the first six Briggs 1.206 engines to Canada, sharing them with other Karters. In 2022, at age 62, he embarked on another venture, starting Cup Kart North America (CKNA), a thriving series in the USA. Bill won many races over his career, but his most proud winning was the Pro Division at Miramichi, back-to-back twice in 1998 – 1999 and 2001 – 2002. Just NOBODY wanted that big black car on the first round.

Gary Elliott: Born in Truro, Gary spent much of his racing career in Ontario. He was 4 or 5 when he made his first connection with stock car racing when his father took the family to a stock car race one Saturday evening. The cars roaring around the oval were seared in his memories. His first chance to feel the excitement in a race car was July 29, 1967, in a Demolition Derby, in a field of 34 cars where his was the last one moving, so he was the winner. When the Mini Stock class was started at Cayuga Speedway, Gary built his first real race car, a Volkswagen, #36. Divisions he has raced in: Demolition Derbies, Mini Stock, Canadian Vintage Modifieds, Limited Late Models, Pro Late Models, OSCARR Modifieds, Pro Stock Tour, Classic Hot Rods. He has raced on 50 different race tracks and has 260 wins. He has been voted “Most Popular Driver” at least eight seasons by the fans. In 2016 he was inducted into the Flamboro Speedway Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame. Quaker State has sponsored Gary for 52 years – the longest driver/corporate sponsor relationship in racing. Gary is still racing.

Roy Greenlaw: Roy started racing in the early 1970s at tracks in New Brunswick. He didn’t stay in the driver’s seat long, turning driving duties over to Ron Gallagher. Roy’s love was in the chassis and in how to make the car go faster. He would travel to River Glade every weekend during the racing season to set up the race cars. He built many cars, but the most famous one was the car he built for Ernie McLean that the late Dale Earnhardt raced at River Glade Speedway. He was one of the top race car guys around. He willingly shared his knowledge with others. For Ernie McLean, Roy was the go to guy when it came to making the rules for the new season to get the rule right and fair. He was an NB Power lineman, so he kept the lights on at River Glade Speedway – if a light went out, the climbing gear came out. When all the poles came down the time of the Ground Hog storm at River Glade Speedway, Roy was the man to find the poles and get them rewired. Today Roy loves going to the tracks and watch his grandson, Drew Greenlaw, compete in the Sportsman class, and he turns on the wrenches sometimes, and you never second-guess him, it’s always the right change.

John Howard: Started Drag Racing in the early 1960s. He was a top driver and a fan favorite – Big John, as he was known to his friends. John did some racing at the Lawrencetown and Chester dirt tracks. When Drag City opened in 1968, John was there. He started stock car racing in the early 1970s, at Atlantic Speedway and raced there for several years. He was a top contender. May 29, 1978, was his most successful night at Riverside Speedway when he won all three races. He was the 1978 Sportsman Class Point Champion at Riverside Speedway beating Sportsman drivers who are also in the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame. John was also one of the drivers picked as “The Coca-Cola Driver of the Week.”

Paul Miller: Paul became interested in cars when he was just 12, working at a service station. In 1962, he won the Minto Safe Driving Rodeo and went on to compete in the Maritime Rodeo in New Glasgow, NS. In 1966, he bought his first stock car, racing at New England Speedway, Barkers Point Speedway, and New Maryland Speedway. In 1967, he won the Centennial Race. He drag raced snowmobiles in Lincoln, Harvey, Chipman, Browns Flats, and Fredericton. In 1978, he joined the International Show Car Association, showing his 1969 GTO Pontiac in shows at Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton, and Halifax. He won eleven first-place finishes in 11 shows. In 1980, he drag raced with his ’69 GTO at Pennfield Dragway and Miramichi Dragway. In 1994, he was the first flagman at the New Brunswick International Speedway. In 1995, he got back into racing and won his first seven events. From driving, he went as a crew member on Joe Albert’s car. In 2012, he participated in the Richard Petty Driving School at Riverside International Speedway. He participated in the Driving Experience a second time at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, getting up to 122.2 mph. Of the 73 drivers that day, Paul had the fastest time.

Warren Phillips: Warren grew up around cars in PEI, as his father & uncle started Phillips Auto Sales, when he was only three or four years old. He joined the PEI Antique Car Club in 1984 where he has held multiple positions, presently looking after registrations and accepting new vehicles into the club. He has owned different antique cars over the years, currently a 1966 Ford Mustang 2+2 Fastback & a 1966 Mercury Cyclone GT. He got the bug to go racing when he went to watch a stock car race. He and his brother Wayne bought an ‘82 Lada, #82, and they started racing in 1985. Warren was the pit man and Wayne drove the car; they went on to win a championship with the Lada. The year he graduated from high school, 1976, he and Wayne bought the business from his father and uncle. Through his business he sponsored many drivers that went on to win championships. He would watch the up-and-coming racers and could tell who would make good drivers. Some of the drivers that he sponsored were: Street Stock Doug Mac Ewan, Tyler Gautreau, Tyler MacLean, Allen Sheen, and Pro Stock Robbie Mac Ewan.

Dave Smith: At a young age, he loved cars, playing with Matchbox cars, dinky toys, building car models, slot cars, and soapbox derbies, a go-cart that would go 35 miles per hour, and in high school, he built a T-bucket Hot Rod. After he attended his first road course race, he knew he had to race someday. In 1975, he pit-crewed with Bob MacDonald’s Chevrolet Camaro racing team, and they won the Moosehead 300, a three-hour endurance race. In the late 1970’s he tied for first with his 1977 Z/28 Camaro at the Atlantic Sports Car Club Regional Slalom Championship. In 1979 he bought the team Camaro from Bob MacDonald, did a complete refit to compete in 2 Molyslip 3-hour National races, at Sanair, Que, and AMP, NS. Finished 2nd in both and won the GT-1 Class at AMP. 1982 at AMP, he set a fast time track record that stood for over 10 years. In 1983, Dave, Eugene Pettipas and Bob MacDonald built a car to compete in the Sports Car Club of America legal Camaro Trans-Am for professional racing. The chassis was built by Blair Crooke Racing. In 1984, Dave ran his first professional race, the Budweiser Trans-Am event at Mosport, Ontario. Dave retired in 2008.

Bert ‘Bertie’ Webster: Born 1945 in Bedeque, PEI. He began his motorsports career in the PEI Stock Car Association at age 18. In 1967, he competed in the Modified Class with a 1967 Camaro at both Freetown Speedway and Charlottetown Speedway. He won the points championship. In 1969, he won the point championship at both as well as “Driver of the Year” and “Most Courteous Driver.” In 1970, he won 11 of 13 “Free For All Races” at Charlottetown Speedway. From the late 1960s through 1979, he was an active snowmobile racer, competing throughout the Maritimes on his 340z Artic Cat. He won many races. He achieved remarkable success in tractor pulling. He played an important role in helping establish the rulebook. In 1988, he was crowned “King of the Hill,” in 1989, “King of the Maritimes.” He accumulated numerous class victories and trophies while pulling with both his 4430 and 4459, until the early 1990s. Bert’s career spans nearly three decades and demonstrates excellence in competition as well as leadership and his remarkable versatility across multiple disciplines.

To learn more about the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame (MMHF) please visit the MMHF museum in Petitcodiac or online at www.mmhf.ca.