Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Third-generation driver Trevor Sneva keeping family tradition alive at seventh annual Edsol Sneva Memorial at Stateline Speedway

Jan Sneva, left, and his nephew, Trevor Sneva, are pictured Saturday at Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, Idaho as part of the seventh annual Edsol Sneva Memorial. Edsol Sneva, who died in 2014, was an icon in local auto racing.  (Ryan Collingwood / For the Spokesman-Review)

Trevor Sneva chased the Indy car dream, an earnest attempt at emulating the storied careers of his Indianapolis 500-winning uncle and contender father.

He made the move to Indiana’s foremost city hoping to catch on to the pro circuit, where Spokane native Tom Sneva won the 1983 Indy 500 and was also the first to hit the 200 mph barrier at the iconic track.

The late Jerry Sneva, Trevor’s father, was a force, too, winning Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors in 1977.

Tom is enshrined in the Indianapolis 500 Hall of Fame Museum. Trevor didn’t make much headway and ultimately moved back to the Lilac City.

These days, Trevor, now in his early 40s and the owner of a ski and snowboard company, finds joy keeping his late grandfather’s dream and racing-rich name alive.

The third-generation Sneva driver was one of more than 80 entrants in six divisions at Stateline Speedway on Saturday at the seventh annual Edsol Sneva Memorial, honoring the local racing icon who died in 2014.

Trevor, a Lewis and Clark High School graduate, spearheads the latest Sneva Racing team, featuring his black winged sprint car with the familiar namesake emblazoned in the side.

Crew members, friends and family hung out in the car’s sizable trailer on Saturday before qualifying trials, enjoying the return of an event that was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The Inland Northwest’s race car patriarch would have been proud to see the turnout, Trevor said.

“He had five kids who raced, and they were all successful, so I know this would make him happy,” Trevor said. “My dad has since passed away (in 2018) and my grandmother (Joan Sneva) has also passed, so it’s now more of a Sneva Family Memorial.”

Edsol’s sons, Tom, Jan, Blaine, Jerry and the late Babe, who died months after a vehicle crash in the 1970s, were all successful drivers in their respective classes.

On Saturday, neither Tom nor Blaine were in attendance.

Jan, who also lives in Arizona, made the trip north for the occasion.

Jan, who won two Cameron championships in the early 1980s, is happy to see younger generations become familiar with his father’s accomplishments.

“Most of the people around here forget us because we’re old,” Jan said. “But Trevor has kept the name going.”

Seventeen cars raced Saturday in Trevor Sneva’s division, one he helped cultivate in the area.

Edsol’s fervor for local racing lives on through his grandson.

“(Edsol) was the guy who started us. He was an icon. He was the king stuff back then,” Jan said. “He got it going. Without him, there’s no Tom Sneva winning Indy.”