Early Start

Tommie Irvin relaxes at his hunting lodge near Baldwin, Georgia.

Tommie was born seventy four years ago in Habersham County.  Son of a prominent, politically strong family of that area, Irvin was a happy go lucky fellow who enjoyed a good time.  Unfortunately, too much fun sent him straight to Banks for some relief.  Over a half a century later he has never been back.

“Yeah, I go back,” he laughed as we talked to him recently, “but as a youngster I had twenty-two cases all at one time against me in court.  Plus the GBI started hounding me so the judge told my daddy it would be best if I just left the county.”

After returning from a stint in the Army during the war, Tommie went to college and began hauling whisky, which was a popular occupation for the time.

“I was playing football for the University of Georgia, but had more fun hanging out with Swayne Pritchett and Pee Wee Dooley,” he said.  “Pee Wee promoted Habersham County Speedway and owned a garage where we worked on our trip cars.  Swayne was driving race cars so it was kind of natural I got started doing the same.  It was fun.”

But it wasn’t all fun for long.  Pee Wee Dooley got killed after a gas explosion in his house at Toccoa.

“After that,” Tommie continued, “we started working out of Jack Edwards Garage there in town.  Jack knew cars well and was very organized, and Swayne knew speed, good enough to go to Daytona to race.”