The Georgia Gang Were Kings Of The Beach

Georgia racers have been winners at Daytona from the beach days up to the superspeedway era.

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 2/12/10

With the 52nd annual Daytona 500 scheduled to take the green flag Sunday afternoon, many people have been talking about the rich history not only of the 500 and the speedway, but also of the events that took place on the beach before it.

One fact that seems to elude many of those that look back through the records books seems to be that drivers from Georgia have had a dominant presence at Daytona Beach.

From 1940 to 1957, the Georgia Gang recorded 20 victories on the beach at Daytona.  From 1960 to 2000, the Gang recorded 13 stock car victories at Daytona International Speedway.  That doesn’t include wins in the Rolex 24 or Paul Revere 250 sports car events or the Daytona 200 motorcycle race.

Georgia has had a significant hand in molding the history of Daytona.  From the beach to the high banks, drivers from the Peach State have been a part of writing history.

And it goes back almost to the beginning.

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