Race-A-Rama

Katron Sosebee would become a familiar face in victory lane on Brady Avenue in the early 60s.

Roy Shoemaker continued his Friday and Sunday night races in May of 1963.  On Fridays, he ran Sportsman and Jalopy races.  On Sunday, the Super-Modifieds continued with the Jalopies.  There were several “Race-a-Rama” shows where Jalopy, Sportsman and Super-Modifieds all ran on the same program.

A new name took the Super-Mod championship – Katron Sosebee.  He was chased by Leon Sells, Johnny Suddeth, T.C. Hunt and Cabbage Pendley of Cumming, Georgia.  Pendley drove for a then unknown car owner out of Dawsonville, Georgia, by the name of George Elliott.

Jack Jackson returned to the Sportsman ranks and had competition from Red Cruce of Buford, Red Green of Canton, Calvin Bagley and a couple of newcomers named Luby Upchurch and Ken Sterbuteel.  One name of note in the Sportsman ranks was former NASCAR star Gober Sosebee.  He ran in the top five several times, but did not win a feature race.  Cruce came away with the championship.

Figure Eight racing and NASCAR Late Model Modifieds came to the Peach Bowl in 1965.  The infield of the little quarter mile had never been used for anything other than wrecker parking, service vehicles and maybe some unscheduled boxing matches.

Curley Allison would become the man to beat on the Peach Bowl's new Figure 8 layout.

The Hobby and Jalopy drivers were getting too good, and there just were not enough wrecks.  If you ran a 20 lap feature on a track where they had to meet twice a lap, you were bound to have some wrecks.  Especially if you started 20 to 24 cars in a race.

In 1965, a new king was born – King of the Figure 8.  Curly Allison (no relation to the Alabama Allisons) started out winning on the new layout, and went on to become Peach Bowl Speedway’s King of the Figure 8.

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On North Alabama’s highly successful Modified circuit, the rules had been changed.  NO cars older than 1955 year models would be allowed.  Bobby and Donnie Allison, along with Red Farmer, still ruled the raceways, but now they had fenders.

In June, Roy Shoemaker ran them on a Wednesday night, in front of a turn away crowd, for the first time.  It didn’t take Shoemaker long to smile as he counted the money.  They came back about five more times with great success.  Winners included Freddy Fryar, Red Cruce, T.C. Hunt and Bobby Allison, who won just before Labor Day.  It was a look into the future.