Raymond Parks poses with Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt had sought out Parks in the mid 1990s, saying he wanted to meet the "other great man of Daytona."
By Eddie Samples
Posted in Feature Stories 6/25/10
On a cool summer morning in 1928, fourteen-year-old Raymond Parks did his usual pre-dawn chores of building a fire, milking the cow, and feeding the stock. Then, using his wooden scythe as a guise, he told the family he was going to cut briars by the creek. Searching across a dark cornfield, he met up with some men waiting in a nearby car. A few months earlier, they had offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse.
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 96th birthday just two weeks prior.
The 2010 class of inductees into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 6/18/10
On Sunday, June 13, the final round of voting was held to choose the 2010 inductees into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
The final five choices, picked to be the next to be enshrined, were made up of both historic and ground breaking motorsports contributors, including pioneer drivers, engine builders, car owners, and the Hall of Fame’s first motorcycle racer.
The 2010 inductees are Ted Edwards of Atlanta, Ernie Elliott of Dawsonville, Jack Etheridge of Atlanta, Laverne Kendrick of Tifton and Jerry Wimbish of Atlanta.
Raymond Parks celebrated his 96th birthday over the weekend at J.B. Day's annual party. This cake honored Mr. Parks and his history. Photo courtesy Eddie Samples
By Brandon Reed
Posted in Feature Stories 6/11/10
On June 6, as many have for the previous 11 years, some of the biggest friends and fans of Raymond Parks traveled to Easley, South Carolina to celebrate the birthday of the man we call “The Godfather Of NASCAR.”
Raymond Parks, who, as a car owner, scored multiple wins at Daytona Beach and won the first two NASCAR titles, had turned 96 the day before.
J.B. Day and wife Willavene at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Photo by Eddie Samples
By Eddie Samples
Posted in Feature Stories 6/4/10
At the commencement of World War II, Jimmie (James Bolt) Day found himself in the predicament of either staying home and helping his family through tough times or getting a job.
Choosing the latter, he would leave his Cadillac LaSalle every morning at it’s usual spot, walk the short distance to the workshop, and begin rebuilding Model A water pumps for Smith’s Auto Parts in Greenville, South Carolina.
