"Hall of Famer" Billy Foster Dies In Crash - January 20, 1967

September 18, 1937 - January 20, 1967

Billy Foster

(Photo; victoriaautoracinghalloffameandmuseum.com)
Born in Victoria, British Columbia.

Foster died in a crash during practice for a NASCAR stock car race at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. Foster is the only Canadian racing driver to have been fatally injured at a NASCAR event.

He and Mario Andretti became best of friends, building a close relationship which Andretti claimed he would never do again with a fellow racer because Foster's death so significantly affected him.

Besides driving in NASCAR, Foster also drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1964-1966 seasons, with 28 career starts. He finished in the top ten 10 times, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1966 at Atlanta. He was the first Canadian to race in the "Indy 500", competing in both the 1965 and 1966 races.

Foster was cousins with musician, producer, composer, arranger David Foster and with Canadian stock car driver Jim Steen.

He was inducted into the Victoria Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1993.