Dawsonville, Georgia native Bernard Long recorded his first win in the July 27, 1941 race at Daytona Beach. He never raced again after the win.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 4/22/12
In the history of drivers from Dawsonville, Georgia to win at Daytona Beach, four men scored wins on the sands of Daytona between 1941 and 1959.
The exploits Gober Sosebee, Roy Hall, and Lloyd Seay are well documented. Their stories have been told time and time again, and each has a rightful place in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. In fact, all three were members of the inaugural class of inductees in 2002.
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Posted 22 April 2012
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The Athens Speedway in Athens, GA, seen here from 1966,closed in 1992, but lives on in the memories of those that will gather at the third annual Athens Speedway Reunion this weekend.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 4/14/12
It’s been almost 20 years since the lights went out for the final time at one of the most popular and successful short tracks in Georgia history.
The Athens Speedway, located on old Jimmie Daniel Road in Athens, Georgia, saw its final race in 1992 after over 30 years of action. Today, the track sits abandoned, mostly forgotten by people in Athens.
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Posted 14 April 2012
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Billie Hester (left) and Gober Sosebee (right) following a win at Daytona Beach in 1950. Both are now in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
By Eddie Samples
Posted in Feature Stories 3/24/12
Georgia’s Billie “Sunday” Hester was named after the famous American evangelist Billy Sunday, whose preaching against the selling of liquor made him a major player in the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment (prohibition) in 1919.
Our Billie Sunday lives by the same ethics…to a degree.
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Posted 24 March 2012
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Ronnie Lieupo sits in his father’s 1935 Chevrolet powered by Ford at the Thunderbowl Speedway.
By Mike Bell
Posted in Feature Stories 3/16/12
Whenever you ask someone about Ronnie Lieupo, they immediately start smiling and remember a joke he told them or pulled on some unsuspecting racer. But don’t think Ronnie isn’t a serious racer. Once he got to drive he would be up front with any of the great drivers in South Georgia or North Florida. We say “once” because Ronnie has been around racing since he was born.
Ronnie remembered when he got directly involved in racing.
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Posted 16 March 2012
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Charlie Burkhalter poses with his restored skeeter at the 2010 Athens Speedway reunion. Photo by Brandon Reed
By Mike Bell
Posted in Feature Stories 3/10/12
A couple of weeks before Christmas in 2009, they had a wedding anniversary in Shake Rag, GA. Of course, I got lost and was late. It was almost dark when we arrived. Our host, Charlie Burkhalter, Jr., directed us to a parking space and said he was going to get the trailer. I knew what he was talking about. Everybody there knew what he was talking about but his father, former famed Athens racing driver Charlie Burkhalter, Sr. You see that was the surprise!
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Posted 10 March 2012
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Gober Sosebee races his Ford down the beach. Sosebee, was one of five drivers from Dawsonville, Georgia, to score a win at Daytona.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 2/24/12
Some say it may be something in the water. Other say it has something to do with what they make out of the water.
Regardless, the little town of Dawsonville, Georgia, nestled in the mountains of North Georgia, holds a distinction that few other single towns can claim.
It is the hometown of no less than five Daytona winners, between the beach years and the years at Daytona International Speedway.
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Posted 24 February 2012
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A look at the famed NASCAR Tucker as it sits out front of Joe Nagel Jr. Motor Sales in Pittsburgh, PA. The car was piloted at Canfield Motor Speedway in Canfield, Ohio by Joe Merola. Photo courtesy Tom Merola
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 2/10/12
Just over two years ago, we posted a story at Georgia Racing History.com about various interesting and odd cars that have competed in NASCAR over the years.
Far and away the portion of the story that got the most attention was the section on the only 1948 Tucker Torpedo to compete in NASCAR. The rare vehicle made its appearance in a 200-lap event on May 30, 1950.
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Posted 10 February 2012
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Friends, fans and racing aficionados gathered in Austell, Georgia for the 23rd annual Peach Bowl Speedway reunion. Photos by Mike Terrell
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 2/3/12
For the 23rd straight year, former drivers, officials, fans and racing aficionados gathered together to remember and reminisce about one of the most important and historic tracks in Georgia racing history.
The annual Peach Bowl Reunion was held on Sunday, Jan. 29 at the American Legion Post 216 in Austell Georgia, some 41 years after the final race at the legendary quarter-mile track was run.
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Posted 03 February 2012
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Huston Platt's famed Dixie Twister funny car sits in a place of honor in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, Georgia. Photo courtesy GRHOF
By Angela Williamson
Posted in Feature Stories 1/27/12
The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, Georgia has seen its share of “hero” cars. And the newest addition to the list is currently on exhibit at the GRHOF.
The “Dixie Twister”, and its driver, Huston Platt, went through many years of pain and suffering before it was finally realized that they too, deserve a spot in the hero arena.
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Posted 27 January 2012
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The Flock Brothers, Bob (left), Tim (center) and Fonty (right) were terrors and winners on the sandy beach and road course at Daytona. Photo courtesy Frances Flock
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 1/20/12
As we close in on the annual running of the Daytona 500, thoughts go back to at time prior to the building of the great speedway, when drivers did battle on the hard packed sands of Daytona Beach to prove who was the best.
Many drivers from Georgia made the trek south each winter to compete on the beach, but few saw the success as the three fabulous Flock brothers, Bob, Fonty and Tim.
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Posted 20 January 2012
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