Role at Riverside: Builder, Owner, Promoter, Racer

John Chisholm had a dream – to build a superior racing facility in his hometown of Antigonish. Riverside Speedway opened 1969 and quickly became known as one of the premiere race tracks in the country.

In 1972 Chisholm climbed behind the wheel of his own race car and was a top modifed racer at Riverside driving cars built by Bobby Allison, Holman Moody, and Ed Howe. Until then most race cars driven in the Maritimes were home-built.

He ran the first Export “A” NASCAR race at Ontario’s Cayuga International Speedway. In 1975 he hosted the Export “A” NASCAR Series at Riverside – and brought in the reigning Daytona 500 winner, Benny Parsons, to drive his ’72 Chevelle. He raced until 1978.

In 1989 he sold Riverside, repurchasing it in 2005. He rebuilt the facility in 2006 and operated it until his death in July 2014. John Chisholm was inducted into the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame on November 15, 2008, and was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2015. The track remains in the family with current owner Donald Chisholm, John’s son.