'Fantasy come true': Father and son from London, Ont. inducted together in Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame

Bob Atchison thought there was a mistake when he got the call to tell him he was going into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame (CDRHF).

“I told the gentleman, ‘You are speaking to Bob not Rob,’” said Atchison, 82, from London, referring to his son who is a champion drag racer.

“He said, ‘No, I want to talk to you, and also to Rob. You are going to be the first father and son on stage.'”

Bob is already a member of the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, and a former drag racer, while Rob is recently retired after a long and successful career on the track.

“I’m deeply honoured to finally make it into the hall of fame,” Rob, 48, told CTV News London. “All of my accomplishments and the passion and dedication we put into the sport, and this is kind of like the last chapter in my journey of racing.”

Bob Atchison began drag racing in the 1950s and became a champion crew chief for his son Rob. (Source: Atchison Racing)

The two spend every day together working on engines at their family machine shop on Clarke Road. It’s fitting that the father and son — who are best friends — go into the CDRHF together after all they’ve accomplished on the track.

The two travelled to Montreal with their family this past weekend to receive the honour in the seventh annual induction ceremony.

“Drag racing is a family sport,” said Rob.

Bob Atchison wears his rings from the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame (CDRHF) while his son Rob shows off his new ring from the CDRHF. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)He explained, “There is a lot of generational families racing. To have my dad with me and then to see my dad also be inducted and how emotional it was for us and our family and how special it is. He was there at every race. I got to see his face before I made a pass and he would give me the thumbs up through the window of the car and every step of the way. We were together and to finally be inducted together was a fantasy that came true.”

Rob’s nearly 30 year career on the track was certainly worthy of the Hall of Fame. During his peak 20 years ago he was one of the best in the world. He won three consecutive IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Championships (2003-2005), the 2003 IHRA Pro Driver of the Year, and won 21 IHRA National Events.

Rob Atchison of London, Ont. won three consecutive IHRA Alcohol Funny Car Championships from 2003-2005. (Source: Atchison Racing)“I'm humble about the things I've done and this was a day where I could shine a light on our fantastic accomplishments,” said Rob, who retired from the sport to spend more time with his wife and children.

Rob added, “It's very kind of un-Canadian like to say ‘Hey, look at me.’ But that was a great night to kind of say, ‘Hey, look at us. Look what we did. Look what we accomplished.’”

Bob, a man of few words, summed all the good times travelling to the track and racing together.

“There are a lot of good memories,” he said.