‘Going to be an interesting season': Saskatchewan's auto racing scene sees three generations of racing family face off

CTV News

4 days ago

(From left to right) Shane Mark, his father Doug Mark, and his son Dallan Fendelet are multigenerational trio of racers in Regina.
For the Mark family, racing seems to be in their blood, as the grandfather, son and grandson trio are set to compete against one another this season.
Despite living in the racing world for more than four decades, emotions still run high for Doug Mark every time he gets behind the wheel at Regina's Kings Speedway.
'You are a bit nervous. You always are, even after all these years, but once the green flag drops the show is on,' Doug told CTV News.
A fixture of Regina's auto racing scene for 45 years, Doug credited the city's tight knit racing community as the reason he finds himself coming back - season after season.
'I've always said we're totally family orientated. You get people from all different walks of life that race and some put a lot into it, some just do it totally for fun but, it's the fact that it's family,' he shared.
Now returning after a two-year break, Doug is competing against the next generation of racers - which includes his son and grandson.
'I've been racing a lot of years and this is the first time I've actually raced against him,' Doug's son, Shane Mark, explained.
'We've raced as a team in the same car, but never side by side. It's going to be an interesting season I think.'
While Regina's racing scene is made up of many family dynasties, Doug's is the only one with all three generations racing together.
'It's really cool. There's a lot of three generations out here, but not three generations racing against each other in the same class. It's a first this has been done,' Shane said.
Growing up within a family of racers, Dallan Fendelet, Doug's grandson, credits his roots for his passion and commitment to the sport.
'I've been out here pretty much my whole life watching my uncle and my grandpa. About five or six years ago I got into it and haven't stopped since,' he shared. 'Lots of knowledge has been passed down [by my grandpa]. Just anything from how to change a tire to [how to] pull an engine, anything I've learned.'
From prepping his vehicle, to suiting up in safety gear, Fendelet says a great amount of hard work goes into the hobby.
'I definitely hope when I'm as old as my grandpa is - not saying he's old - but I can race as well because that's a pretty good accomplishment when you're getting older because it's a physical thing,' he said.
'You're driving and you're working on it all week, all winter and stuff. It's pretty demanding.'
Looking back at the past 60 years of racing history in the Queen City, Doug says he's especially proud of his family's place in that tradition.
He hopes to see more youth get involved in the sport.
'I certainly urge any young person, anybody that wants to get involved to go see somebody that is racing in and join their pit crew, do something to help them and get involved,' he added.
'You'd love it.'