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Other Stories Of 2011

While Pollard’s 2011 season was the top choice of most of those polled, there were other stories that were also near the top as well.

“The bright spot continues to be the advancing career of Chase Elliott,” said Captain Herb Emory of WSB Radio.  “(He’s) already signed up with the richest team in NASCAR history and poised to become one of the sport’s superstars.”

Elgin Traylor of Speed51 agreed.

“At 16 he’s won just about every major race in the Super Late Model world after winning the Snowball Derby,” he said.  “Elliott also won SpeedFest, both ends earlier in the year and had a solid Rookie season in K&N Pro Series East.  Most people don’t understand they housed the cars out of the Dawsonville shop not at Hendrick Motorsports.”

Allen Hastings of Southern Race Week Radio pointed to another Georgia driver, Griffin’s Max Gresham, as the top story of 2011.  Gresham scored two wins and the championship in the NASCAR K&N Pro East Series during the year, and will move full time to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012.

Hastings also noted the first Middle Georgia Raceway reunion, held at the abandoned speedway in Byron, Georgia, as a historic happening for the year.

William Barber saw one of the other big story lines of 2011 play out at New Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia.

“Lavon Sparks and his drive for the 2011 Late Model Championship at Senoia Raceway had its storyline and drama all year long,” he said.  “2011 had Senoia Raceway in place to run its first season for points since its move back to dirt in 2010 witch in its self makes history in Georgia racing world. That in its self brought out the desire from every driver to be “The First” to win the new championship title.

“Lavon made strong progress late in the season to clearly define the driving skill needed for this ‘new racing surface’ that kept  the rest of the 37 driver field at his heels and gave him the first championship of Senoia Raceway.”

Rocky Sinyard pointed to a Georgia driver’s accomplishment just outside the state as a major milestone.

“Shane Clanton won the Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track back in January of this year, making him the first three-time winner of the celebrated event,” he said.  “Shane started from the pole and led every lap of the caution-free affair.”

Charles Head also pointed to dirt racing for a high point for 2011.

“Jonathan Davenport deserves some glances as the best from Georgia,” he said.  “He won all the titles at East Alabama (in Phenix City) this year in both the super late model and crate late model classes along with may 10,000 to win major races throughout the southeast.”

As positive as many of the opinions of 2011 were, there were still some negatives to come out of the racing year.

“The year of loss sticks in my mind for 2011,” said Emory.  “The loss of Beau Solcumb, a Georgia driver that had already captured the eye of major racing teams in the NASCAR game.  The loss of racing pioneer and friend Jimmy Summerour.  The loss of the sound of NASCAR engines for the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  The loss of the fulltime sponsorship from UPS for Georgia driver David Ragan.  The loss of other NASCAR sponsor dollars and of speedway ticket sales.”

Sinyard also had a disappointing note to share about a long time Georgia short track event, noting the format change that took place for the World Crown 300 at Gresham Motorsports Park.

“As an advocate of the ‘fair traditions of racing’, I found the revisions to be heartbreaking, further eroding the traditions of racing,” he said.  “Even though the race was portrayed as a success, the majority of the drivers and fans that I spoke with preferred the original rules — 300 laps to the checkers.

“With the new format, the World Crown 300, like NASCAR, will never be the same.  How can we compare this year’s winner — and future winners — with champions of the past?”