The 2009 class of inductees were honored at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame on Oct. 23.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 10/30/09
The rain outside couldn’t put a damper on the excitement inside the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Friday night, Oct. 23.
That’s because the 2009 class of inductees were being honored at the Hall, which is located at the Dawsonville City Municipal Complex.
Almost 300 people turned out to honor the 2009 inductees, which includes Bob Burcham, Luther Carter, Herb “Tootle” Estes, Tommie Irvin, Ronnie Sanders, Leon Sells, Buck Simmons and Katron Sosebee.
The Mountain Moonshine Festival is held annually in Dawsonville, Georgia.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 10/30/09
Saturday marked the opening of the 42nd annual Mountain Moonshine Festival in downtown Dawsonville, Georgia.
The festival, which now coincides with the induction ceremony for the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, has long brought out racers and fans alike that enjoy meeting, reminiscing and sharing a fun time in the North Georgia Mountains.
The event annually draws thousands, and is listed as one of the top annual festivals in the southeast.
Rance Phillips, pictured with his daughter Lynn and his son Randy in victory lane in the late '70s.
By Mike Bell
Posted in Feature Stories 10/23/09
Some of the greatest Georgia drivers started later than others and are still racing.
Even though Rance Phillips started out drag racing in Florida, when he moved back to Waycross, Georgia, and went to work for Walker Chevrolet, he and his buddies decided to build a car to run at the local oval.
Rance remembers it this way:
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 10/16/09
It really came as no great shock this past week when the names of the first five inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame were announced. From the time it was announced that five would be whittled down out of the 25 possible inductees, it was pretty much a pre-conceived notion who the first five would be.
Four out of the five were right on the money, they being Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Bill France, Sr. and Bill France, Jr. The only wildcard appeared to be if it would be Junior Johnson or David Pearson who would make it in. Johnson, once dubbed by writer Thomas Wolfe as “The Last American Hero”, won out.
The 2009 class of inductees to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame is one of the strongest in the seven years of the hall's history.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 10/9/09
Friday, October 23 will be a night to honor great racers with ties to the Peach State.
That’s the night for the induction ceremony for the 2009 inductee class to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame, which is housed at the Dawsonville City Hall Municipal Complex in Dawsonville, Georgia, is entering it’s seventh year of honoring Georgia’s racing legends, and the 2009 class is one of the strongest.
Brandon Reed
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Columns 10/2/09
Last week I found myself out at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia, formerly Peach State Speedway, watching a few drivers make laps as part of a tire test for November’s World Crown 300.
Among those taking laps was the defending World Crown champ, Russell Fleeman. Fleeman had been taking laps, and was talking to the Hoosier tire guys about how the car handled. A few minutes later, everyone walked over to Fleeman’s number 98 late model while his crew made changes and adjustments.
