A familiar spot for North Georgia native Bobby Whitmire in the mid 1950s - victory lane at a Georgia short track. Photo courtesy the Bobby Whitmire collection
By Mike Bell
Posted in Feature Stories 12/2/11
For years, Hugh Blackstock has told me about getting with Bobby Whitmire and Charles Probst. Not thinking that I am getting any older, I figured these guys would be around for years to come.
Then Charles died in a car accident near Gainesville, Georgia. That made me realize that I’m getting too old and Bobby and Charles were way ahead of me.
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Posted 02 December 2011
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It took Ronnie Sanders 22 years to win the World Crown 300. Photo by Robert Turner
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 11/11/11
For Ronnie Sanders, it was the one major event that had eluded him.
He had lost the World Crown 300 at Peach State Speedway (now Gresham Motorsports Park) in Jefferson, Georgia, in just about every way you could imagine.
From cut tires to engine woes to getting caught up in other people’s problems, the Georgia speedster had seen strong runs at the crown fall apart time and time again, dating all the way back to the first running of the event in 1983.
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Posted 11 November 2011
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A look at an untorn ticket from the inaugural World Crown 300 on Nov. 27, 1983 at Georgia International Speedway (now Gresham Motorsports Park) in Jefferson, Georgia. Photo courtesy George Seagraves
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 11/3/11
It came about as an idea for the ultimate short track event.
All Pro Series head man Bob Harmon had been looking for a late season event to pit the best short track racers from the south against the hottest hot shoes from the north. Teaming with former ASA official Rob Joyce, who had just taken over the position of promoter and general manager of Georgia International Speedway (now known as Gresham Motorsports Park) in Jefferson, Georgia, it appeared they had found just the right formula.
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Posted 04 November 2011
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The 2011 Class of Inductees into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame were honored at the annual induction banquet and ceremony at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, Georgia Friday night. Photo by Justin Poole
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 10/82/11
Friday night was truly a night to remember, as the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame inducted its 2011 class and honored other racing luminaries at the Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, Georgia.
Those inducted included George Elliott of Dawsonville, Mike Head of Ellenwood, Harold Kite of College Park, Swayne Pritchett of Baldwin and Ken Ragan of Perry.
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Posted 28 October 2011
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The 2011 Georgia Racing Hall of Fame inductees are, left to right, George Elliott, Mike Head, Harold Kite, Swayne Pritchett and Ken Ragan.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature 10/14/11
The time is almost here.
On Friday, Oct. 21, fans, friends and family will gather at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame to honor the 2011 class of inductees.
The 2011 inductees are George Elliott of Dawsonville, Mike Head of Ellenwood, Harold Kite of College Park, Swayne Pritchett of Baldwin and Ken Ragan of Unadilla.
With a class like this, a huge turnout is expected to be in Dawsonville, Georgia next Friday.
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Posted 14 October 2011
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Joe Lee Johnson would compete at NASCAR's highest level for several years, winning the inaugural World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960, before becoming at track owner in Tennessee.
By Eddie Samples
Posted in Feature Stories 9/29/11
Joe Lee Johnson was a tall, quiet, unassuming man who seemed sure of himself.
While doing research on Atlanta’s Lakewood Speedway back in 1999, Sam Colvin, Kenny Bugg, Jimmy Mosteller and myself drove to Tennessee to visit with Joe Lee.
At the time, he owned an old fashioned quarter mile dirt speedway with wooden bleachers in Cleveland Tennessee, similar to what he raced on when he began his career in the early 1950s.
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Posted 30 September 2011
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A field of classic “Skeeter” Super Modifieds comes off the second turn of the Banks County Speedway sometime in the mid 60s. Photo courtesy Mike Bell
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature 9/2/11
Out off of Highway 198 in Banks County in rural North Georgia is a former house of speed.
Hidden out in the woods, on private land and cut off from the world by an electric fence, is the old Banks County Speedway, a track that used to draw the best racers from all over the southeast.
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Posted 02 September 2011
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Ken Ragan made a name for himself as a driver in ARCA and NASCAR's Sprint Cup series before working with Legends car racing. Photo courtesy GRHOF
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature 8/26/11
When most people talk about Ken Ragan, they talk about his time as an independent racer out of Georgia, or about his later role in bringing the current form of racing known as Legends cars to prominence.
What many may fail to realize is that Ken Ragan was a second generation racer who brought much skill, determination and drive to all his racing efforts.
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Posted 26 August 2011
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George Elliott, pictured right, celebrates a victory at Rockingham in 1984 with, left to right, sons Dan Elliott, Bill Elliott and Ernie Elliott. Photo courtesy GRHOF
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature 8/19/11
Ask most anyone who knew him, and you will hear that Dawsonville, Georgia’s George Elliott was the epitome of a hard worker and a fine gentleman.
George Elliott was born April 7, 1924 in Dawsonville. While he may be best known as the father of NASCAR champion brothers Bill, Ernie and Dan Elliott and the grandfather to up and coming stock car racer Chase Elliott, those who knew him say he was the epitome of a hard worker and a fine gentleman.
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Posted 19 August 2011
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Harold Kite won at Daytona Beach in 1950, but his racing legacy continues on today. Photo courtesy GRHOF
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature 8/13/11
A racing legacy can take several different forms. Sometimes it comes in the form of a racing dynasty spanning many years with a number of wins and championships.
But another kind of racing legacy can come from the impact that someone had on the racing world in a relative short period of time, and how that impact continues to resonate today.
Such is the racing legacy of Harold Kite of East Point, Georgia.
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Posted 13 August 2011
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