Role at Riverside: Racer

Lewis Kelly Jr. raced at Riverside Speedway during the 70s, 80s, and 90s, before and during the MASCAR era.

He got his start in racing at just 16 years of age driving in the street stock division at the old Nine Mile River track. It wasn’t long before he moved to the sportsman ranks at Drag City, close to his home in Lower Sackville.

In 1979 he won the sportsman championship at Atlantic Speedway before moving to the modified division, and then to MASCAR when it was formed in 1983. He is the 1985 MASCAR champion. He continued racing in MASCAR until the end of the 1993 season when he retired to help his son, Scott, in his MASCAR career.

He fielded a car for Scott until his passing in 1999. Since then he has remained involved in racing through sponsorship and as a familiar face around the pit area – often lending a helping hand or expert advice, or both.

Junior Kelly’s contribution to Maritime motorsports was formally acknowledged in 2008 when he was inducted to the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Junior Kelly passed away March 25, 2016; he was 68.