Once you try it, you’ll be hooked for life.

Charlie Angus, president of the Pemberton Stock Car Association, says that anyone who has taken a lap around the 1/3-mile oval track located about 10 kilometres south of Pemberton has fallen in love.

“Anybody who goes around this track has fun. And then they want to do it and do it and do it. That’s how we keep going after all these years,” Angus said on Saturday (Aug. 21) before the start of events in the club’s third day of races this season, while standing next to the bomber-class car that he drove in the original years of the venue.

“It’s just the exhilaration of going around and having somebody close… just the sound and the dirt flying in your face,” he added.

With its speed-inducing banked turns and action-packed races, the track created with Pemberton Valley clay has been around for about a decade. A lot of love went into its creation, in the form of extensive volunteer labours and community donations, and the drivers who appreciate the experiences it offers also continue to lavish attention upon it to keep it in top shape.

They also put a lot of time and effort into their character-filled cars, which are almost as interesting to look at as the high-speed race action. The association runs hobby stock, bomber and hornet-class races at the track.

“My wife hates me for the week before a stock car race,” Angus joked. “Every night, every minute you’re out doing something, whether it’s watering the track or grading the track or fixing your car.”

Though Saturday’s turnout was depleted by other summertime events, with about eight die-hard drivers and a bunch of enthusiastic spectators on hand, the afternoon races still showcased the fun and fast-paced action that arises when the cars charge the course and the dust and rip-roaring sounds fill the air.

New recruit Sean Cooper, who joined the stock car association this season, wound up winning the day’s 20-lap race, which featured plenty of jockeying for position and mechanical challenges like a mid-race crash and flat tire.

While people are primarily out to have a good time, Cooper said, “it seems pretty easy to be competitive, because you see cars in front of you and you just want to get in front… within the rules, obviously.”

A longtime car racing enthusiast who did some time-trial events in his youth, Cooper said he had been wanting to “get out there racing with other cars,” and feels oval-track racing is the most affordable discipline. He acquired an inexpensive, race-ready hornet-class car in December, and waited for the summer race season to come while “chomping at the bit to get going.”

“It’s a blast getting out there,” Cooper said. And the hornet class was “designed to be as affordable as possible,” he said – no modifications are allowed to the four-cylinder cars other than removing all the superfluous internal pieces and adding safety gear.

Growth of the association’s membership seems to have stalled a bit this year, Angus said, and he’s not sure whether it’s for economic reasons or other factors. But Cooper said he’s felt welcome as a new member this year, as the other drivers want to have lots of cars out and all having a good time, and everyone jumps to help each other.

The next races at the Pemberton Speedway are scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 11 and 12, including exciting night races on Saturday with time-in starting at 4 p.m., and day events on Sunday starting around 11 a.m. Further races are set for Sept. 25 and 26, including the Don Blundell Memorial Race. Angus said the fall events usually attract more drivers, crowds and excitement.

Check out pembertonspeedway.com for times and updates.

Angus also thinks there are lessons that drivers at large can learn from giving stock car racing a try.

“I think everybody should do it, just so you know what your car feels like if the back end slides out or if you turn your wheels and the car keeps going straight,” Angus said. “It’s not a panic situation. You can bang into somebody and still control your car. So to me… people on roads would definitely benefit by being able to just do something like this.”