Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 7/15/11
The recent news that Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia would be hosting Wednesday night races for the first time in several years brought back memories of a time when mid-week racing was the norm in Georgia.
While modern day fans might not know it, long time race chasers remember the days when drivers would face off at various tracks around the region all through the week.
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 6/17/11
Following Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono, Pennsylvania, the #18 M&M’s Toyota of Kyle Busch failed to pass post-race tech. According to reports, the Joe Gibbs owned Toyota was 1/16th of an inch outside the tolerances allowed by NASCAR.
The result was a $25,000 fine, the loss of six championship owner’s points and six championship driver’s points.
The debate over such fines and penalties has gone on for years. But today’s drivers should count themselves very, very lucky. Back in the “pioneer days”, drivers weren’t just slapped with fines. They were completely disqualified, or in some cases stripped completely of championship titles.
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 6/10/11
There can be no doubt as to the biggest topic of discussion coming out of last weekend’s NASCAR events at Kansas City. It wasn’t the winner, or the fact that there was a fuel mileage finish for the second straight event, and third in the last four, counting Saturday’s Nationwide series event at Chicago.
It wasn’t the second straight near miss by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. It wasn’t the second career win of second generation racer Brad Keselowski.
Brandon Reed, Kyle Petty and Robert Marlow smile for the camera in late 2000. Photo from the Brandon Reed collection
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 5/23/11
Since launching Georgia Racing History.com almost two years ago, the one question that I’ve been asked over and over again is “How did you ever get so interested in racing and in its history?”
That answer is very simple. If not for my grandfather, Robert N. Marlow, this website and my connection with auto racing likely would never have come to be.
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 5/13/11
It was one of the most improbable finishes to any NASCAR event in history, and it just happened to unfold around one of Georgia’s most legendary racers.
It occurred on May 17, 1981, at Dover Downs International Speedway, now known Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware. The Mason-Dixon 500 started out much as any other race you might expect to see on a Sunday afternoon. David Pearson, piloting an Oldsmobile for Kennie Childers, started on the pole, with Morgan Shepherd outside in Cliff Stewart’s Pontiac.
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 4/15/11
There is no denying it. Over the years, a lot of odd and flat out weird things have happened at the 2.88-mile Talladega Superspeedway.
First off is the style of racing the track, with cars running in packs and often ending up with a multi-car crash that can eliminate the best cars in the field, opening the door for other drivers who may not have had a prayer to score a win.
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 4/8/11
Whether it was falling off the top of a building or putting together one of the most popular race teams in NASCAR history, Hollywood stuntman and legend Hal Needham always did things with success in mind.
Needham tells his story in his autobiography, “Stuntman!”, which came out earlier this year and is well worth the read.
Needham tells about his childhood in Arkansas, and how he parlayed working as a treetopper in California into a start in television and movies doing stunts. Over the years, Needham did stunts for John Wayne, Burt Reynolds, Richard Boone and countless others.
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 3/18/11
Last Saturday proved to be another milestone for me, as I got a chance to make my on-track debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Okay, it sounds bigger than it actually was, but for me – it was huge!
I was at AMS, working with other volunteers to represent the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame during the track’s open house event. Along with Bobby Milam and I were several other volunteers, including Jackie Smith, son of Hall of Fame racer Jack Smith.
Rick Minter
By Rick Minter-Guest Contributor
Posted in Columns 3/4/11
Most folks don’t get into the sports reporting business for the money. They do it for chances to write about people like Roosevelt Johnson.
Johnson, one of the South’s pioneering drag racers, died this past January at the age of 80. I interviewed him several times over the years, visited in his home, watched him work on racing engines in his shop, rode up and down the road with him, and even went to a NASCAR track with him.
Mike Bell
By Mike Bell
Posted in Columns 2/25/11
A guy from Michigan by the name of Alan Brown has compiled a list of all the race tracks that ever existed in North America, entitled “The History of American Speedways: Past and Present.” He shows every track that is known to exist but knows he hasn’t made a complete list.
I have tried to help him update his book. I do this by looking through numerous microfilms of newspapers at the University of Georgia. Thanks to their School of Journalism, there are films of papers from throughout this state. So far, I have gone through papers for Macon, Columbus, Athens, Augusta, Gainesville, Albany and other cities.
© 2009-2012 Every Other Man Productions All Rights Reserved -- Copyright notice by Blog Copyright