Labor Day at Lakewood Speedway, 1946
George Robson of Britain.
George "Tex" Barringer of Texas.
By Mike Bell
Posted in Feature Stories 8/27/09
In the March 2005 issue of Vintage Oval Racing magazine, there was an article on George Barringer written by Bill Barringer, his son. It contained information about George’s career and Indy racing. We contacted the magazine about getting in touch with Mr. Barringer for more information on his dad.
George “Tex” Barringer died along with the 1946 Indy 500 winner, George Robson, in an accident at Atlanta’s Lakewood Speedway on September 2, 1946.
Labor Day, 1946 saw George Barringer (left) and George Robson (right) lose their lives in a AAA Indy car event at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 8/27/09
It remains one of the most infamous days in Georgia racing history.
Labor Day, September 2, 1946. Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta played host to a AAA Indy Car race that featured open wheel hero Ted Horn, defending Indianapolis 500 winner George Robson and popular Texas wheelman George Barringer, along with eight other drivers, in a 100-mile event in the sweltering Georgia summer.
Lakewood Speedway sign recreation by Ron Edwards.
By Brandon Reed and Justin Poole
Posted in Feature Stories 8/20/09
August 8 saw the holding of the second annual Lakewood Speedway Reunion at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. Hosted by the City of Dawsonville, Georgia, the event brought together former drivers, car owners and fans of the great track.
All in all, it was a great day of remembering and honoring. On display was the trophy from the Lloyd Seay Memorial, held late in 1941, along with photos of the heroes of Lakewood as well as those who lost their lives at the track, including George Barringer, George Robson and Skimp Hersey.
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 8/13/09
With rain delaying the last two NASCAR Cup events, the obvious question kept coming up over and over.
“When will NASCAR finally break out rain tires and run a Cup race in the rain?”
This became a natural question after last year’s Nationwide series at Montreal that was run in the rain.
Following that event, the NASCAR P.R. machine pumped out press releases touting it as the first ever NASCAR event to be run in the rain.
There’s only one problem with that statement – it’s false.
A field of cars takes the green flag in a heat race at the Jackson County Speedway on May 16, 1948. Photo courtesy Harold & C.L. Pritchett
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 8/6/09
Three miles outside of Jefferson, Georgia, the Damon Gause bypass crosses over a piece of history.
If you drive out towards Athens on the 129 bypass, and you look in just the right spot, you can still see a little of it.
It’s the Jackson County Speedway, the first known racetrack in Jackson County. In its day, it drew some of the fastest and best drivers to its high-banked turns.
