Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 9/3/10

When the NASCAR Sprint Cup tour rolls into Atlanta this weekend, it will be mark the last time the tour will visit the 50 year old facility twice in one season for the foreseeable future.

It’s an odd situation to see Atlanta lose its spring race date.  Since it’s first event in 1960, the speedway has hosted to Cup events yearly.

But the spring race has always been a tough sell.  And, with the opportunity to go to new venues, the decision was made to limit AMS to only one event, the successful Labor Day race, for 2011.

The track has a history of ups and downs.

The speedway was conceived by a group of real-estate developers in the Atlanta area in 1959.  Costing around $1.8 million to build, the track, then known as Atlanta International Raceway, played host to its first race on July 31, 1960.

The track was a classic oval layout, 1.5 miles in length, with great sweeping turns and smooth straightaway transitions that meant fast speeds.

The track opened as the third true paved speedway on the NASCAR circuit, along with Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Speedway.  Charlotte Motor Speedway would be the fourth track, and it would open later that same year.

A crowd of around 25,000 came out to take in the first event at Atlanta, which was won by legendary wheelman Fireball Roberts.

The track was far from ready to go racing, however.  The asphalt had only just had enough time to cure.  Some of the stands weren’t completed, with the retaining wall blocking the view for some fans in the lower portions.

Rainstorms had turned the surrounding area into a mud pit, and early on, Atlanta gained notoriety as one of the worst tracks to get out of following an event.

Financially, the situation wasn’t rosy either.  The track struggled from the beginning, fighting to stay out of the red.  At one point, the speedway even went into bankruptcy.

Weather was not friendly to the 1.5-mile speedway to boot.  Several races early on were delayed by rain, not by days but by weeks.  It would be several years before Atlanta would settle into friendlier race times during the year.

One thing that caused the speedway problems was its location.  Placed south of Atlanta, developers thought that, with all the growth that was occurring north of the city, the southern side would do the same, putting Atlanta International Speedway in what they thought would be a prime spot.

They were dead wrong.  The growth continues to the north today.  Had the speedway been built the same distance north of town, off of Interstate 85, odds are it would have been one of the most successful venues on the circuit.

That’s not to say the track didn’t see some success, and some great moments.  Nebraska racer Bob Burdick won his first and only NASCAR event at the track in 1961.  Rex White picked up the first win for Chevy at AIR in 1962.  Indycar racer Jim Hurtubise won in a “questionable” Plymouth in 1966.

A.J. Foyt recorded one of his seven NASCAR wins at Atlanta in 1971.  Richard Petty became the first NASCAR driver to win a career total $1 million in a 1974 event there.

Legendary drivers such as LeeRoy Yarbrough, Ned Jarrett, Fred Lorenzen, Buddy Baker, David Pearson and Bobby Allison would park in Atlanta’s victory lane.

A big break occurred for AIR when the fall date for the speedway was moved to November, putting it near the end of the season.  Fans who wanted to see how the NASCAR points chase would shake out would flock to the track.

In 1987, the season finale was held at Atlanta for the first time.  Fans packed the stands to watch Dale Earnhardt win his second consecutive and third overall Winston Cup.

Atlanta appeared to have found its place.

The next big step in the right direction for the facility came in October of 1990, when Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., purchased the Atlanta International Raceway.  He promptly changed the name to Atlanta Motor Speedway, bringing it, name wise, in line with his other tracks.

From there, AMS began to grow exponentially.  Additional grandstands were added in the east turn.  Suites were added all around the top of the towers around the track.  Driver and fan amenities were added.

Race wise, fans were still being treated to terrific racing.  Local fans got to see their hometown hero, Bill Elliott, crowned the Winston Cup champ in 1988.  Rusty Wallace would earn his lone championship trophy there in 1989.  Meanwhile drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Morgan Shepherd and Ken Schrader visited victory lane.

But it was the 1992 Hooters 500, the season finale for the Cup series that year that may be the track’s all-time greatest moment.

It’s known for being arguably the most exciting race in NASCAR history.  It was the last race for Richard Petty, as he hung his helmet up after a stellar career.  Meanwhile, five drivers entered the race with a mathematical chance to win the title.

Fans watched as Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki fought though the closing laps, both looking for a title and a win.

In the end, Kulwicki led one more lap than Elliott, and took the Winston Cup by a scant 10 points over Elliott.

Davey Allison, who had entered as another title contender, was eliminated in a mid-race crash, as was Petty.

A near-capacity crowd took in all the action and drama.  It went down as one of the greatest sporting events ever held in the state of Georgia.

The track underwent more changes a few years later when, in 1997, the track was transformed from a true oval to a quad-oval track, similar to the layout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The track saw a huge jump in speeds, making it one of the most popular tracks to attend on the circuit.

Over the last few years, it’s provided great racing and memorable moments, including several races decided by just inches at the start-finish line.

But the track lost its place as the home of the season finale in 2001 to Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.  While attendance seemed to hold steady for both events, whispers began about moving one race date to another up and coming venue.

Next year, it will happen.  The track’s spring date will go away.

But, under the helm of general manager Ed Clark, the speedway will survive, and should continue to thrive.  Clark and his staff are keen at finding new events and keeping the speedway in the public eye.  That will continue, as will racing at Atlanta.

Racing continues to grow.  Unfortunately, as it grows, it threatens to grow away from its traditional homes.  Atlanta is one of the fortunate ones to not be completely walked away from.

Hopefully, one day, the powers that be will remember where they got their start.  Until then, tracks like Atlanta and Darlington will have to think outside the norm and do what they can to keep the home fires burning.

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 8/6/10

For some reason in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was a slew of stock car racing movies filmed in the south.

Some were okay, some were terrible, but many of them had one thing in common – they were made by people who really didn’t know what stock car racing was all about.

The film “White Lightning Road” is just such a film. It was made in 1965, written, directed and produced by Ron Ormond, a low-budget filmmaker from Nashville.

Make no mistake, the film was no award winner. But, what it gives us is a window to stock car racing in the mid 1960s.

The movie was filmed mostly at the old Cumming Speedway, which was known as “the cow pasture”, due to it literally being cut out of a cow pasture.

Movie poster art from the release of "White Lightnin' Road".

The film revolves around our hero, a local bootlegger and racecar driver who gets himself mixed up with a big-time crook out of Atlanta (played by Ron Ormond himself). Along with the racing footage at the Cumming Speedway, we also see some neat footage of a small track “skeeter” racer taking laps at the Atlanta International Raceway.

Some of the acting was, to be honest, bad. The lead actor was Earl “Snake” Richards, who would star in two other films, “That Tennessee Boat”, and the infamous “The Girl From Tobacco Row.”

The main female lead is played by Arline Hunter, who’s other claim to fame was being Playboy magazine’s playmate of the month in August of 1954. She tried in this film to look and act like Marilyn Monroe, but succeeded mostly in acting like she had taken a crowbar to the head at some time in the past.

But forget the acting. That’s not the point of what makes this film a time capsule. It’s the people that helped to make it, and the people in the background.

Another such movie was filmed around Georgia called “Corky.” The movie, which was made in 1970 and released in 1972, starred Robert Blake as the title character, Corky Curtiss, a dirt track racer and mechanic from Texas.

The story revolved around Corky’s obsession with becoming a big time NASCAR racer, based solely on a picture taken with himself and Richard Petty. Corky leaves his wife and children to travel across the country from Texas to Atlanta in an attempt to break into the big time at the Atlanta International Raceway.

The film "Corky" was filmed in 1970, but went unreleased until 1972.

Also starring in the film is Charlotte Rampling as Corky’s wife, veteran actor Ben Johnson, and a host of NASCAR and local racers in cameos. One scene features Corky turning laps in a modified 1966 Plymouth Barracuda (sporting a Superbird rear-wing, no less!) around Atlanta International Raceway, swapping paint with the Dodge Daytona of Bobby Allison. Another shows Buddy Baker, Allison, Cale Yarborough and several other NASCAR stars during a coffee break in a suite at AIR.

But for Georgia race fans, there are some priceless shots. The movie’s finale was filmed at the legendary Peach Bowl Speedway, a raceway that sat closer to Atlanta’s downtown area than the Atlanta Zoo does today. The film shows the track towards the end of its existence. Roy Shoemaker, the owner, builder and promoter of the track, sold the speedway in 1970, and the track closed one year later. A MARTA bus repair depot now sits on the spot where the track was.

Racing scenes were also filmed at the old West Atlanta Raceway in Douglasville. In that scene, Corky takes on local drivers in a borrowed racecar. In that sequence, he picks up a win after a spin by none-other than Georgia racing legend and NASCAR winner Jody Ridley, with Ridley piloting his famous number 98 Ford Falcon. The track would later become Seven Flags Speedway. Sadly, it too is now closed.

Needless to say, Blake didn’t do his own race driving in the film. Georgia Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Mincey was behind the wheel in the racing sequences, one of several movies Mincey worked on in the Georgia area. Mincey was a track champion at the Peach Bowl, as well as at the Toccoa Speedway and the old Athens Speedway.

After its 1972 release, “Corky” fell into obscurity. After a run a drive-in theaters and occasional late night television runs, the film faded into the dust. It never even made it to the home video market. Neither did “White Lightnin’ Road”, for that matter.

You can occasionally run up on a “collector’s” copy here and there. If you’re so lucky, go ahead and take a look at both of these.

Despite what they appear to be cinematically, it is another rare opportunity to see a couple of Georgia’s grand old racetracks in their glory. It’s another chance to see Tommy Roberts and his contemporaries slug it out at the Cow Pasture. It’s one more chance to see cars at the Peach Bowl. It’s a chance to see Jody Ridley’s blue Ford on dirt again. It’s a chance to see the winged Dodges on Atlanta’s original layout, before it was turned into a Charlotte clone.

Chances like that are hard to come by.

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 7/30/10

Reports from the Associated Press this week said that two of NASCAR’s top tier drivers were handed down stiff financial penalties recently for making critical comments publicly about the racing series.

In other words, after telling them “boys, have at it” in the off season, it was followed by “boys, keep your traps shut.”

This move has been justified by some since other big league sports have taken the same path over the years.

But that’s the fatal flaw in the current line of thinking by NASCAR’s management – that what everybody else has done is what they need to do.

What made big time stock car racing stand apart from the other stick and ball sports was its transparency, along with its connection to the fans.

When one of NASCAR’s competitors had a beef, they could speak their minds.  It was part of sharing the experience with the fans and the general public.  Many times, it was the only way to get attention onto a real problem.

Competitors have spoken out about all kinds of issues that they felt needed to be addressed, from unsafe tires during the Great Tire War of 1988 to pit road safety by crew members.

To muzzle that competitor takes a way that transparency, and makes it look as if NASCAR has something to hide.

1970 NASCAR Cup champ Bobby Isaac had a few choice words for NASCAR following his win at Nashville in 1970.

Back in 1970, NASCAR ran two races back-to-back one day after the other.  They ran a 200-lap race in Maryville, Tennessee, on July 24 and then had their drivers hustle over to Nashville to run a 420-lap event July 25 in the hot summer sun.

The end of the Nashville event was broadcast live on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and when winner Bobby Issac climbed from his K&K Insurance Dodge, he had a few choice words to share with the camera.

He wasn’t fined the next week.  That’s because Big Bill France understood that criticism is something that you have to endure when you’re working towards the big picture.  While I’m sure France wasn’t pleased about the negative exposure, I’ll wager he took Isaac’s comments to heart when it came to laying out the future schedule.

Can you imagine legendary car builder Smokey Yunick having to deal with such a policy?  Yunick was one of the most outspoken people in auto racing, and was especially critical of NASCAR and the France family. They would have bankrupted the owner of the “Best Damn Garage” in Daytona in no time.

And just think of the money NASCAR would have collected from A.J. Foyt over the years.  SuperTex has never been one to hold his tongue, and that certainly would have cut into his pocketbook after a few bad races.

The point is that once you’ve told your competitors not to say anything negative about you, to paint the situation to be rosy and bright, you’ve instantly thrown gasoline onto the fire of those who feel everything is NOT rosy and bright.

And, at the risk of getting a fine myself, I’ll tell you right now that there are problems in NASCAR land, and the same attitude that led to fining drivers for speaking their minds is adding to those problems.

What comes next?  Will NASCAR issue scripts for the drivers for what they need to say before and after a race?  Will there be teleprompters set up in the pits so that the drivers will know what NASCAR wants them to say when the cameras are turned on?

Okay, maybe I’m a little over the top, but where does the control end?

When you start telling the competitors they aren’t allowed to speak when they see a problem with what’s going on, you show full well your own insecurity in the product you are putting out there.

NASCAR has always been big enough to weather the critics, to look at their criticism and work on things that had merit.

That is, until now.  And in doing so, they may well have done more damage than all the harsh post-race words in the world.

In trying to project strength, they are, instead, showing weakness.

My buddy Glen Shepperd had the best idea as to who should get the next fine for actions detrimental to the sport.

The question is, can NASCAR fine itself?

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 7/2/10

First off, let me start this column by saying a big thank you to all our readers!

Georgia Racing History.com turned one year old on June 26.  So far, the response has been phenomenal, and we can’t say thank you enough!

The birth of this website actually started more than a year prior to the website being officially launched.  It began as a conversation between myself and Mike Bell, the historian and CEO of the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association.

We had been discussing at length trying to find a way to get more of the great stories of Georgia’s racing history, many of which had been published in now long out of print issues of the Pioneer Pages magazine, out to a broader audience.

I hit on the idea of this website.  Mike agreed to be part of it by offering his stories from the Pioneer Pages, along with his advice.  I spoke a few weeks later with fellow writer and historian Eddie Samples, and the ball began rolling.

My lovely wife, Suzanne, who is a graphic designer by trade, worked to come up with the terrific logo you see above, incorporating one of my favorite photos from the long defunct Jackson County Speedway.  The family of the late Swayne Pritchett was kind enough to allow me to use the photo, and another piece of the puzzle was in place.

I actually had everything set to launch just after the first of June, 2009.  But a Sunday trip to the spot where the legendary Lakewood Speedway once stood changed that.  I shifted gears, and postponed the launching of the site until I could tell the story of the speedway, which, along with the famed Peach Bowl in Atlanta, is one of the most historic tracks in the state.

We hit another bump just before the official launch when we found the layout we wanted to use did not work with some of the web browsers out there.  That’s when I turned to my computer guru, Patrick Aikens, who came up with the blog style layout we now use.

We were also able to persuade a dear friend of mine, Kathy Wilson, to lend us her services as proofreader.

Once that all fell in place, Georgia Racing History.com finally went live on June 26, 2009.  Since then, we’ve been striving to tell you stories of Georgia’s racing heritage, along with other stories that help to preserve the history of racing in general.

It’s been a strong first year, and we look forward to the next and many more to come.

Hoschton racer Jimmy Garmon celebrates his first victory in five years at Gresham Motorsports Park on June 19. Photo courtesy GMP Media

Third Generation Winner - If you were a part of the stellar crowd that came out to Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia on June 19, you got to see a little bit of Georgia racing history written yourself.

Jimmy Garmon, of Hoschton, held off a hard charge by Bubba Pollard, considered by many to be one of the top Georgia wheelmen today, to win the Super Late Model feature at GMP that night.  It was Garmon’s first win since April 30 of 2005, when he won at the same track.

Now, here’s what makes that win so cool.  Garmon is a third generation Georgia racer.  His grandfather was Jap Brogdon, a pioneer throttle stomper who raced on the beach in the late 30s and in the 40s.  He was a constant competitor to the likes of Lloyd Seay, Roy Hall, Bill France, Sr., Bob Flock and others.

The biggest career highlight for Brogdon was his winning of the Lloyd Seay Memorial, a race that was attended by all of the big names of stock car racing of the day, in November of 1941.  The race was run in honor of the late Georgia racer, who had been gunned down by his cousin in September of that same year over an argument about sugar for the family moonshine.

Brogdon was quoted in the local papers as saying he was determined to win that race.  A pre-race photo showed he and Bill France, Sr. holding the trophy that they both wanted to win.

Brogdon took the trophy home.  For years, it remained in a place of honor in his Chamblee, Georgia transmission shop.  It stayed there until his stepson, Ronnie Garmon, closed the business many years later.  It now resides in a place of honor at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, a spot Brogdon will surely share one day.

Ronnie Garmon, Jimmy’s dad, would make a name for himself as a motorcycle racer around the state and the southeast.  He also spent time as a stock car pilot at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Jimmy himself started out racing motorcycles, but switched to the stock car set at his dad’s encouragement.

Jimmy won the famed World Crown 300 in 1998.  When he won on June 19, he didn’t get so many handshakes as he did hugs.  The win was a long time coming, and we were very glad to see him back in victory lane.

A Tough Year – So far, 2010 has been a rough one on Georgia racing’s history and heroes.  I know that there are probably some that we’ve missed hearing about, so my apologies for not mentioning anyone.

Charlie Burkhalter poses with his restored skeeter at the Athens Speedway reunion earlier this year. Burkhalter passed away back in May. His is one of several loses to the Georgia racing community over the past several months. Photo by Brandon Reed

Earlier this year, we lost veteran racer Charlie Burkhalter.  Burkhalter had been an ace skeeter pilot, and was a constant competitor all over the state.  His loss was a great one.

Just before we lost Charlie, the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame community was saddened by the loss of Annie Dean Samples.  Mrs. Samples had been a tireless champion for the Hall of Fame, and helped to get the building in Dawsonville, Georgia reopened to the public.  Her efforts were always appreciated, and her loss leaves a void that will be tough to fill.

Long time Georgia racer Andy Buffington also passed away recently.  He was a tough competitor, picking up wins at Lakewood, the Peach Bowl, Douglasville and Senoia.  He was with us at last year’s Lakewood Speedway reunion.

We also lost Tim Richardson, who was a driver, fan and flagman at North Georgia and Cleveland Speedway.

The loss that has gotten the most attention, and rightfully so, was the loss of racing legend Raymond Parks on Father’s Day, June 20, 2010.

Parks record and his accomplishments have been touted quite a lot over the last weeks, so I won’t go into that.

What I will share with you is a moment from Mr. Parks services, which were held on June 23.

There were several NASCAR representatives on hand, one of which spoke during the service.  While his speech was respectful, it did have a tendency to begin sounding like an infomercial for NASCAR’s new Hall of Fame.

Once he sat down, Mr. Parks nephew, who is a preacher from Montana, took to the podium.

He began by thanking the folks from NASCAR who were there, but then pointed out that they hadn’t seen fit to put his uncle in their Hall of Fame.

He then listed off all the Halls of Fame that have honored Mr. Parks, including the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame, and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega.

The NASCAR folks, Mr. Parks’ nephew said, apparently didn’t “get the memo.”

Hopefully, now they’ve got it.

Buck Simmons

Buck Simmons – Word came down this week that 2009 GRHOF inductee Buck Simmons had been hospitalized.  He was apparently suffering from pneumonia and had suffered congestive heart failure.  Word is that he is on a respirator and soon will be moved to a regional hospital.

As has been said before, Simmons, of Baldwin, Georgia, is nothing less than a  Georgia racing legend.  With 1,012 victories, he is a member of the National Dirt Hall of Fame, along with being in the GRHOF.

Simmons raced all over the country, and even had a brief stint into Sprint Cup racing.  Anywhere his famed number 41 was unloaded, you knew he would be one of the men to beat.  He was the 1981 National Dirt Racing Association champ, and also recorded wins in the United Dirt Track Racing Association and the Southern All-Stars.

All of us at GRH.com send our prayers and best wishes to Buck and his family at this time.

What’s the problem? – Last week I was fortunate enough to be a guest on the Cuzin Eddie Allen show on WMCL 1060-AM out of McLeansboro, Illinois.  While they don’t quite reach the Peach State, they do broadcast to four states, including Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

Cuzin Eddie’s co-host, Jeff Turner, contacted me about coming on to their show to talk about Raymond Parks, Lakewood Speedway and a few other items. It was a great time, and I’m very grateful to Jeff and Cuzin Eddie for having me on.

Fans were lined up early to get trackside parking at Gresham Motorsports Park's Super Late Model event on June 19. Photo courtesy GMP Media

One question that I was asked was my thoughts on the tremendous drop in attendance at NASCAR events all over the country, and if that drop had also affected small, local tracks.

The answer, unfortunately, is yes.  Everybody in the race track business is hurting right now.  And it’s not just from the economy.

What built stock car racing to its zenith, in my opinion, was a connection between the fans and the drivers that was unparalleled in the world of sports.

For years, after a NASCAR race, fans would pour out of the stands and into the pit area to meet their heroes.  Guys like Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Buddy Baker, to name just a few, would spend hours after an event with their fans, signing autographs and talking.

Somewhere along the way, that got lost.  Racers got too busy to sign autographs.  The money they could garner away from the track made extra time spent there an annoyance.  While fans spent hours now in traffic, the drivers flew off in their corporate jets.

That common thread that connected the fan in the stand to the driver in the car has been lost.

Until we get the fans back down in the pits, on the big tracks and at the Saturday night short tracks, and make them feel like they are an important part of the show, auto racing will continue to suffer.

Remember, without the fans, we don’t have a reason to go racing on Saturday night.

One last thing – On Thursday night, the 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame were announced.  Among them were three Georgia Racing Hall of Fame members – Red Byron, Tim Flock and Raymond Parks.

Of these three, the second inclusion of Parks is most ironic, in that, had the folks that vote had any foresight at all, they would have grabbed the opportunity to honor him while he was still with us.  Hopefully, as Mr. Parks nephew said during his funeral service, this time they’ve “got the memo.”

But to make sure, those of us who knew him, were friends with him or simply admired him need to go to work.  We need to make sure those that vote know how important Mr. Parks is, and how, without him, there certainly would be no NASCAR today.  We need to send emails, make phone calls and make sure the world knows why Raymond Parks deserves to be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year. The final vote will be taken on October 13.

Mr. Parks did a lot for racing.  Now let’s do what we can to make sure he’s remembered for it.  Make your vote known at the NASCAR Hall of Fame website.

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 6/21/10

Of the late Glenn “Fireball” Roberts passing, sports writer Max Muhleman once wrote that it was like waking up to find that a mountain that had always been there was suddenly gone.

That’s how members of the Georgia racing community felt Sunday after learning of the passing of Mr. Raymond Parks.

Mr. Parks passed away in his sleep early Sunday morning at his home in Atlanta.  He had celebrated his 96^th birthday just two weeks prior.

Mr. Parks was respected by so many people, not just around the state of Georgia, but also throughout the racing world.  Richard Petty, Junior Johnson and the late Dale Earnhardt were among the luminaries who spoke of his great contributions.  Earlier this month, David Pearson took the stand that he won’t go into NASCAR’s new hall of fame until Mr. Parks is honored.  That from one of the all time greats in auto racing.

Raymond D. Parks - June 5, 1914 - June 20, 2010. Photo by Brandon Reed

Born in Dawsonville, Georgia, in poor surroundings, Mr. Parks left home to make his way in the world.  He hauled moonshine out of the hills and into Atlanta.  From that, he would build a series of businesses that would eventually lead him into the world of auto racing.

Mr. Parks was a quiet person, but his presence spoke volumes.  He was also a modest person who didn’t tout his accomplishments.  But oh, what accomplishments!

Think about these milestones in history that Mr. Parks was a part of for a moment.  When the first major event for the types of automobiles that would evolve into modern day stock cars were held at the famed Lakewood Speedway in 1938, not only was Mr. Parks there, but his car won.  It was piloted by his cousin, famed moonrunner Lloyd Seay.

Mr. Parks and his cars dominated Daytona Beach in a way nobody ever will again.  Between 1940 and 1950, nobody won on the beach more, with drivers such as Seay, Roy Hall, Bob Flock and Red Byron recording the wins at Lakewood Speedway, Langhorne in Pennsylvania, and countless other tracks all over the east coast.

During the war, Mr. Parks served with the 99^th Infantry at the Battle of the Bulge.

After the war, Mr. Parks again went racing.  Fonty Flock would pilot Mr. Parks’ car, meticulously wrenched by famed Atlanta mechanic Red Vogt, to the 1947 NSCC modified championship, a Bill France run pre-curser to NASCAR.

When NASCAR itself began, Mr. Parks was one of its big supporters along with being one of its main competitors.  His cars would win the first NASCAR event, held at Daytona Beach in 1948, along with the first two titles, for modifieds in 1948 and in the strictly stock division, which is now called Sprint Cup, in 1949.

Mr. Parks was there when the first race was run at Darlington, South Carolina.  Photos show him changing tires on Red Byron’s car in an effort to help his team win.  The teams went through so many tires that they began “appropriating” them from passenger vehicles parked in the infield.

But more important than his accomplishments was the support he gave to the sport.  Although Mr. Parks didn’t go out of his way to talk about it, it’s common knowledge that when Big Bill France ran out of money to cover the purses or other expenses in NASCAR, Mr. Parks would make sure things were covered.  He’d even go so far as to provide pace cars for NASCAR events.

In addition, he set an example for those that came after him.  His perfectly presented cars, his poise and his professionalism set standards that we see even today.  So many people tell me today how his influence molded what they did and what they do, ranging from fellow Georgia Racing Hall of Fame members Jimmy Mosteller and Tommie Irvin to drivers who met him years later.

For me, one of my proudest moments came almost one year ago at the second annual Lakewood Speedway reunion at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, Georgia.  The day was also proclaimed “Raymond Parks Day” in his native Dawson County and in the city of Dawsonville.

I was asked to emcee the event honoring Mr. Parks.  I welcomed everyone, introduced local dignitaries and spoke a little about Mr. Parks history and his importance to us there at the Hall of Fame.

Afterwards, Mr. Parks’ wife, Violet reached me before anybody else.  She told me that she and Mr. Parks had enjoyed that ceremony even more than his recent induction in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, and thanked me for the job I had done as emcee.

Before she returned to Mr. Parks side, she took my hand and placed in it one of Mr. Parks business cards.  He had signed it on the back.

To me, that stands as the highest praise I have ever received, and is one of the greatest honors I could ever have been bestowed.

The words that I said to close that event were unrehearsed and from the heart.

Many have called Raymond Parks the Godfather of NASCAR.  But I’ll take that one step farther.  Mr. Parks is the Godfather of Georgia automobile racing.

Mr. Parks, from the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of every member of the Georgia racing family and from racing enthusiasts everywhere, thank you for all you’ve done for racing, and thank you for being a part of our lives.

Godspeed, Mr. Parks.

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 5/28/10

The first World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was a grueling event that broke several cars, and several hearts before the checkered flag fell.

Track builders Curtis Turner and Bruton Smith had run into a lot of trouble in getting the track done in time for the first NASCAR event on the big track.

The asphalt had not had enough time to set before the race, and as more and more cars took to the track, the racing surface began to come up. That led NASCAR officials to allow drivers to add special screens to protect portions of the windshields, as well as tire flaps to try to deflect rocks and chunks of the racing surface from being kicked up.

Georgia Hall of Fame driver Jack Smith had the first World 600 well in hand until a chunk of asphalt intervened.

Fireball Roberts sat on the pole for that first race in a lightning fast Pontiac. From the drop of the green flag, Roberts ran away from the field. As other drivers had issues, Roberts bombed his way around the track.

But the hard charging Floridian cut a tire, forcing his fast Pontiac into the guardrail, and ending his day after 191 laps.

Of those, Roberts had led 114.

The next driver to fall victim was Georgia Racing Hall of Fame member Jack Smith.   Smith would lead 198 of the race’s 400 laps, piloting Bud Moore’s 1960 Pontiac. As other contenders such as Turner, “Tiger Tom” Pistone, and Junior Johnson fell by the wayside, Smith held a commanding lead.

But that crumbling racing surface struck again. As Smith continued to lead, it became obvious that there was a problem. He roared down pit road, with fluid trailing his number 47 Pontiac.

A chunk of asphalt had kicked up from the racing surface, and punched a hole in Smith’s gas tank.

Crew members tried desperately to plug the hole, but nothing worked.  They tried using rags to stop the leak, then attempted to use chewing gum and even a bar of soap to seal the hole.  Each time, Smith would return to the track only to have to return with fuel pouring from the back end.

Smith was finally forced to retire from the race, credited with having run 352 laps.

Joe Lee Johnson, driving a Chevy prepared by GRHOF member Paul McDuffie, recorded the win in the first World 600.

That handed the lead over to Chattanooga’s Joe Lee Johnson, piloting a 1960 Chevy that had been wrenched by legendary Georgia mechanic Paul McDuffie, himself now a member of the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.  Johnson held a four-lap lead over the second place car of Johnny Beauchamp. Johnson held on to win the first World 600, pocketing a cool $27,000 for the win.

But the controversy of the race wasn’t over. Three Petty Enterprises entries, piloted by Lee Petty, Richard Petty, and Bobby Johns, had all pulled off top ten finishes in the grueling grind. But when Lee and Richard went to the pay off window to pick up their winnings, they were told NASCAR officials had disqualified them, robbing them of all winnings and points for the event.

Before the race, officials had warned drivers not to cut through the grass between the front stretch and pit road. If they did, officials said, they would be disqualified.
During the course of the event, both Lee and Richard were caught up in separate incidents that sent them spinning through the grass. Rather than cut back on the track and into traffic, both had made the decision to cut to pit road to get back up to speed.

The Pettys said it was common sense to make such a move. NASCAR didn’t see it as such, and pulled both drivers’ scoring cards. However, no officials ever told the Pettys this had been done, effectively giving them a free show from the two drivers.

So, as you can see, controversy and heartbreak are nothing new to the Charlotte track. It started right from the time the first shovel full of dirt was turned. But it’s also what makes it such a grand track that everybody wants to beat.

Editor’s note: Portions of this column were originally published in the May 29, 2008 edition of The Jackson Herald.

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 5/7/10

It was 62 years ago this month that the racing world lost a driver that many felt would have been an early NASCAR star.

On May 16, 1948, Swayne Pritchett of Baldwin lost his life due to injuries sustained in a racing accident in Jefferson, GA.

Pritchett was born in 1922, and early on, was fascinated by speed. As many young men of the day were, he was involved in the moonshine business.

Later on, Pritchett would become successful by using his whisky money to buy land, and also to go into the used car business. After World War II, Pritchett became more involved with used cars.

And he became involved in racing.

Swayne Pritchett

Swayne’s son Harold says that as best his family can find, Pritchett became involved in racing after the war. Harold recalls seeing his father finish third at the old Habersham County Speedway north of Mt. Airy.

Pee Wee Dooley, who was the promoter at the speedway, owned Pritchett’s ride that day. Dooley died soon after that race in a freak gas explosion at his home.
After that, Pritchett owned his own cars, with legendary mechanic Jack Edwards turning the wrenches.

Driving his blue and white number 17 Ford, Pritchett caught the eye of many race fans and promoters around the south. He raced on Daytona Beach in 1947 and raced on Bill France’s pre-NASCAR circuit in 1947, finishing 17th in points.

In 1948, Pritchett became the 23rd driver to obtain a license for France’s new racing organization, named NASCAR.

Racing out of Edward’s garage in Cornelia, Pritchett prepared to run many of the new NASCAR events. NASCAR raced only modifieds that year, with the strictly stock (later to be known as Sprint Cup) division still a year away from its birth.

Swayne Pritchett (17) avoids a sliding Tommy Moon (far right) coming off the north turn at Daytona Beach. Photo courtesy Harold Pritchett

Pritchett piloted his Ford to a fifth place finish on the beach and road course in Daytona. He took third at Augusta and fourth at North Wilkesboro. By the early part of May, Pritchett found himself in sixth place in the NASCAR point standings.

His name was also popping up in a lot of NASCAR press releases. Seeing the popularity of the young driver, France would mention him several times in the releases that he sent to newspapers to spread the word of the new sanctioning body. Surely, Pritchett was on his way to being a shining star on the racing scene.

Then came May 16, 1948.

Pritchett was due to race in Martinsville, Va. on that weekend, but a freak snowstorm postponed the event. NASCAR rescheduled the race for Richmond, but, for whatever reason, Pritchett decided instead to run on May 16 at the half mile Jackson County Speedway just outside of Jefferson.

Swayne Pritchett (right) dominated the race at Jackson County Speedway and take the win, but would die after an accident following the checkered flag. Photo courtesy Harold and C.L. Pritchett

Pritchett was the class of the field that day, winning in the heat race, then in the trophy dash. Pritchett took the green flag from the pole in the feature, and led every lap en route to the victory.

But moments after taking the checkered flag, disaster struck.

For some reason, Pritchett’s car and the lap car of Truett Black collided in the first turn after the end of the race. Pritchett’s car was thrown end over end. The impact apparently caused the seat belt support in Pritchett’s car to break, and he was thrown out of the tumbling car.

Black was taken to an area hospital for care and treatment, and would recover.

Pritchett was still conscious when crew members reached him, and was taken to a hospital in nearby Commerce.

Several people who had accompanied or followed the ambulance waited outside. Soon, a nurse came out to tell them Swayne Pritchett had died of internal injuries.

Pritchett was buried at the Leatherwood Baptist Church cemetery in Banks County. He had turned 26 years old one month earlier.

This year marks the 62-year anniversary of Pritchett’s passing. The speedway where he suffered his fatal injuries is gone. A bypass connecting I-85 and Athens crosses its front and back stretch.

But the memory of Swayne Pritchett continues on to this day. He was a racing pioneer, and an early star of stock car racing. For those who saw him race, or have heard about his talents, his memory lives on today.

Editor’s note: Portions of this column were originally published in the May 15, 2008 edition of The Jackson Herald.

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 4/30/10

Tony Stewart was in the Peach State this past week, turning test laps at the redesigned Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia, along with two other Sprint Cup teams.

Stewart was impressive as he turned laps in his Chevrolet, which is usually adorned with the number 14.  On this day, the Chevy Stewart was piloting had no numbers or decals.

Stewart has piloted the number 14 for the last season and a half.  He announced he’d race under that number when he announced his buy-in to the as part owner to what was then Haas-CNC Racing.

The reason Tony went with this number was his connection to one of his racing heroes, legendary racer A.J. Foyt.

Driving the number 14 Ford for Raymond Parks, Fonty Flock won the 1947 NSCRA championship, which one year later would become NASCAR.

While Foyt is synonymous in racing with the number 14, the man who had the most success in NASCAR with that number was Georgia Racing Hall of Fame member Fonty Flock.

Born in 1921 in Ft. Payne, Alabama, Truman Fontello Flock, better known as Fonty, was the middle of three brothers who would become racing legends. Older brother Bob was an incredible modified racer, and younger brother Tim would go on to be one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers.

Fonty ran his first race at the legendary Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta in 1939, and won his first career race at that same track one year later.

In 1941, Fonty traveled to Daytona Beach for the annual beach race, taking the pole for the event.

While racing with fellow Georgian Roy Hall, the two made contact in the south turn, sending Fonty’s car out of control, and end over end.

Fonty’s seatbelt broke during the accident, and he came away with multiple injuries, including a crushed chest.

Fonty returned to racing in 1947 in the inaugural event at North Wilkesboro, N.C. in a ride Bob helped to line up.

Fonty showed that the years away hadn’t dulled his senses, as he went out and won the race.

Fonty began racing on Bill France Sr.’s National Championship Stock Car Circuit, a pre-cursor to NASCAR. Bob was racing for legendary car owner Raymond Parks. When he was injured in an accident, Fonty took over the ride for his brother.

The car number was 14.

Fonty went on to pilot Parks’ Ford to the championship, with seven wins to his credit.

The next year, as France was working hard to get NASCAR off the ground, he promoted Fonty as the 1947 NASCAR champion (although NASCAR refuses to acknowledge that today, just as they refuse to acknowledge anything that occurred prior to 1972).

Fonty Flock waves to the crowd as he takes the checkered flag in the 1952 Southern 500.

Fonty won the 1949 NASCAR Modified champion, and won his first cup event in 1950 at the grueling Langhorne Speedway.

1951 was the year that Fonty put #14 on the map, as he won eight times driving Frank Christian’s “Red Devil” Oldsmobile.

Fonty picked up the biggest win of his career in 1952 when he captured the fabled Southern 500 at Darlington, leading 341 laps en route.

After taking the checkered flag, he stopped his car on the front stretch, stood on the roof, and led the crowd in the stands in the singing of “Dixie.” His driving suit consisted of a keen pair of Bermuda shorts.

Fonty was a fan favorite. Sporting a pencil thin moustache reminiscent of Clark Gable, and hardly ever seen without a smile, fans would come out to see what Fonty would do inside and outside the race car.

Fonty celebrates his Southern 500 victory in 1952. Note the driving uniform. Photo courtesy the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame

Fonty would win eight more times between 1953 and 1956, but his career came to an end at Darlington in 1957.

Fonty was piloting a Pontiac for the ailing Herb Thomas, and the car had problems early on. On lap 27, Fonty spun at the entrance to turn three, coming to rest in the middle of the track.

Young Bobby Myers was racing Paul Goldsmith down the back stretch, and didn’t see Fonty’s stalled car until it was too late.

Myers hit Fonty at full speed, and Goldsmith was gathered up into the accident, with all three cars rolling end over end several times.

Myers was killed. Goldsmith was injured, but climbed out of the car under his own power. Fonty was badly injured, and was taken to an area hospital.

He announced his retirement from his hospital bed.

Fonty Flock died in 1972, at 51 years of age.

Fonty once said that the younger drivers didn’t know how to have fun. He said that they make more money, but “…much of the fun for them is gone.”

For Fonty Flock, piloting number 14 wearing a pair of Bermuda shorts, racing was fun, and it was fun for those who had the privilege to watch.

Editor’s note: Portions of this column were originally published in the August 14, 2008 edition of The Jackson Herald.

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Mike Bell

By Mike Bell
Posted in Columns 4/16/10

Last year, I met Heather Rhodes, the publisher and editor of Slingin’ Dirt Magazine at Hartwell Speedway while the Carolina Clash was stirring up the red clay?

“Could you do something on history for publication in the paper?” was her request. Here’s what I shared with her.

Looking at Slingin’ Dirt, you notice that it covers mostly North Georgia.  Back in 1956, racing was so different and took on a bigger look.  East Park Speedway ran on Friday night to packed crowds with sportsman and jalopy racing.  Toccoa Speedway ran the same classes on Saturday night for their second year of operation (yeah, I know they claim to be the oldest track in Georgia but Oglethorpe opened in 1951 with Waycross and Boyd’s opened in 1952. The oldest contiguously operating race track in Georgia – Yeah!).

Rufus Tribble, who ran East Park, had a traveling group of strictly stock late models under a scantioning body he ran called Dixie Auto Racing Enterprises (DARE).  These two tracks ran every weekend except for East Park closing for a nearby Eureka Baptist Church’s revival.

Then the famous (or is it infamous) Golden Strip Speedway opened in Fountain Inn, South Carolina running the same type of cars – sportsman and jalopy.

An ad from an Anderson area newspaper promoting a DARE event at Toccoa Speedway. Clipping courtesy Mike Bell.

Then Rufus Tribble made the announcement that another new track would be running DARE races.  Hollywood Speedway in the Hollywood community south of Toccoa opened on May 13, 1956.

The track was operated and owned by the late Tom Fountain who lived on the adjoining property.  Mr. Fountain’s son-in-law told us recently that Tom was involved in racing as a car owner before building the track.  He loved the sport so much he dedicated a portion of his own property to the track.  That first race featured the strictly stock cars of DARE.  These were 1954, 1955 and 1956 new model cars just like they came off the showroom floor.   Remind you of some other group?

Anyway, Roswell “Roz” Howard of then Macon, Georgia (now living on the lake outside of Milledgeville) drove his 1956 Chevy to victory.  The next Sunday, Roz won the big race again but this week it was the sportsman class of DARE.  The sportsman class was pre-World War II coupes and sedans with flathead engines with limited modifications.  I’m sure the jalopy class ran also but there wasn’t anything in the Anderson papers on that class. (I should come clean here and tell you my information comes from looking at the microfilms of the old Anderson papers.  There may be something in the Toccoa papers but my research hasn’t gone that far).

A church which still serves the community to this day complained to Tom about the dust, the noise and the fact that they ran on Sunday – which at that time was against the law in South Carolina but not Georgia.  It was just frowned upon strongly.

Tom, being a good family man and a good neighbor, closed Hollywood Speedway after only two races. We were told he built chicken houses on the property to try and supplement his policeman’s salary.  You can just barely see any notion that there ever was a race track on the property.  But in reality nothing but memories remain of that track.

Advertisement for the opening event at the Hollywood Speedway from the May 13, 1956 edition of the Anderson Independent Newspaper. Clipping courtesy Mike Bell.

Right after Tom Fountain closed Hollywood, Tommie Irvin opened Banks County Speedway between Homer and Baldwin.  Again the same type of cars would run weekly at Banks County but they opened with strictly stocks of the Southern Racing Enterprises (SRE) out of Atlanta with everybody’s “Little Biddy Buddy” Jimmy Mosteller on the microphone.

A lot of the same drivers ran both santioning bodies as they did in the two races run at Toccoa on April 18, 2009 with the O’Reilly Southern All-Stars and Hartwell on April 25, just a week later with the Carolina Clash.

By the Fourth of July, another track opened for the fans as well as the racers.  It was located about five miles from the intersection in downtown Lavonia.  Thus it was called Lavonia Speedway.  In doing research, I found nothing but advertisements in the local paper as well as Anderson.  I went to a source that has not failed me on racing in the area – Wendel Roach.  We met Wendel at his house, which is only four and a half miles out of Lavonia.  Yeah, Wendel lives within walking distance of the site.

The track was built and owned by Henry Martin Ford and was where Ford Road (the name now but it was just another dirt road then) ends at Georgia Highway 59 less than a half-mile from Wendel’s house.  As you turn off the highway there is a brick house about a quarter-mile after you turn.  Wendel assured me that that house did not exist when the track was built.  In fact, the edge of the track was quite near the front door of the house.  The next house was Mr. Ford’s home – a white house that honestly looks younger than its fifty plus years.  A nephew of Mr. Ford’s lives in the white house.

The track opened to the same kind of racing everyone else was having – sportsman and jalopy.  The track itself was according to Wendel “longer than a quarter mile.”  Wendel said the problem was the track surface.  Mr. Ford didn’t put down any clay and as the races progressed during the night’s events the surface became a series of ruts and potholes, some “big enough to swallow a car.”  The drivers complained to Mr. Ford but to no avail.  Thus the track died after only about 6 races.  He even tried Wednesday night races.

So the next time you are riding around the area, remember these and other track’s that started out in the days when the majority of the roads were dirt and the cars were home built.

Mike Bell is the CEO and historian for the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. (GARHOFA)

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.

Brandon Reed

By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 4/2/10

In the last few years, the success of Danica Patrick in Indy car racing and Ashley Force in NHRA drag racing has drawn more and more attention to women competing in auto racing.

The phenomenal attention that Patrick gained and continues to garner this year with her stint into the stock car world has continued to fuel the age old question of just when the glass ceiling will be broken in NASCAR.

Many point to Patrick as being the one who could write that new chapter in American auto racing history, and certainly the attention she gets each time she straps into a stock car suggests that day may not be far off.

Regardless, there have been several talented ladies take the wheel in NASCAR racing that were very capable of winning.

Louise Smith was a trailblazing driver in NASCAR's early days.

Barnesville, Georgia native Louise Smith is always the first to jump to my mind. Known as “The First Lady of Racing,” Smith entered her first race at an event promoted by Big Bill France in South Carolina around 1946. France was looking for something to bring the fans in, and felt a lady driver would do the trick.

Smith was the driver chosen, and finished third piloting a 1939 Ford modified. The only problem was, nobody had explained to her what the checkered flag meant. As the other drivers pulled off after the race, Smith continued charging around the track. Finally, an official realized the problem, and waved the red flag.

She didn’t have any problems understanding the flags after that.

Smith raced sportsman and modified cars for several years, picking up wins all across the south.

Smith was also a driver for France’s fledgling NASCAR Grand National series, and France used her to promote events all over the east coast.
But she was no novelty act – she was a real racer.

She raced alongside the best of the best, including Tim Flock, Buck Baker, Curtis Turner and Ralph Earnhardt. She raced at some of the toughest tracks ever to be built, including Daytona Beach, Darlington, the famed mile at Langhorne, and the treacherous Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta.

While she may not have broken into the Grand National (now Sprint Cup) victory lane, she did pick up 38 victories in modified events around the country.

One of the best stories about Smith dates back to 1947, when she borrowed her husband’s car to go on vacation.

In reality, she took the car to Daytona Beach to race it.

The only problem was, she had trouble on the track, and wrecked the car.

Smith took a bus back to her home in Greenville, S.C., and told her husband that the old Ford was a lemon, and had broken down near Augusta.

That was when her husband pulled out a copy of the Greenville newspaper, which showed a picture of her and the wreck on the front page.

Another time she was racing at a NASCAR event at Hillsborough, N.C., when her car went out of control, rolling end over end, and coming to rest in the woods.

Smith smiles for the cameras following a crash at Hillsboro, North Carolina.

Smith escaped injury in that accident. Track workers dragged the heap out of the woods, and she climbed back inside, helmet and goggles on, and posed for photos while flashing a big smile.

Smith quit racing in 1956, but her heart was always close to the sport. I met her for the first time at the Tim Flock Memorial event held at Toccoa Speedway in Toccoa, Georgia, in 2001. We talked for nearly an hour, and she told me proudly about telling famed television personality David Letterman off on his show.

“He wanted to treat me like I was a joke,” Smith said. She would have none of it.

Smith was the first female racer inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame back in 1999. She surely will not be the last.

Smith passed away in April of 2006. The path that she blazed and the people she touched can still be seen today.

But the thing that I remember about Louise Smith stems back to the first meeting in 2001. When the races started that night, she was like a kid in a candy store. She had an absolute ball watching the cars tear around Toccoa’s little dirt track.

Gender had nothing to do with it. She was a racer, through and through.

Editor’s note: Portions of this column were originally published in the May 9, 2008 edition of The Jackson Herald.

Brandon Reed is the editor and webmaster of Georgia Racing History.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Email us!

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame or the Georgia Auto Racing Hall of Fame Association, Inc. All content is the intellectual property of the individual authors. All opinions are those of the individual authors. Please do not repost images or text without permission.