Byron moonshine legend lives on | Macon Telegraph Detroiturbex.com - Middle Georgia Raceway The 1968 Islip 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 7, 1968, at Islip Speedway in Islip, New York. In the trailer, he walked through fields and sat in the stands at abandoned tracks. The 1970 Georgia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 8, 1970, at Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia. [4] A few years ago[ when? In later years the track was used for special events, concerts, commercial and feature filming, and most recently as a Halloween attraction. 1) "Middle Georgia Raceway." The 1974 Southern 500, the 25th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race on September 2, 1974, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. (2012-09-19). A trap door inside of a ticket booth led 17 feet underground to a cave where the distillery was kept. The economy soured and people began approaching him about having a racers reunion there, which he allowed. In 2011, Dodge contacted the current owner and asked to use the track for an advertisement. Earnhardt Jr. previously posted a trailer to reveal the premiere date and provides some new glimpses into his journey through the history of motorsports. Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group? During the trial, the government produced an invoice for 24 pounds of yeast that was purchased by Brown 10 days before the moonshine still was discovered. Richard Petty won his seventh and final Winston Cup championship, winning by 11 points over Darrell Waltrip. Those racers ended up being NASCAR Hall of Famers, and Byron was on the map. shows Jimi Hendrix performed at due to his death three months later.3, The Doge Durango television ad Although the current owner had placed a fresh coat of paint over the walls, Dodge "aged" the walls and even bought a local car for $2,000 and crashed it to add realism to the scenes. All structured data from the file namespace is available under the. The Middle Georgia Raceway is an abandoned race track near Byron, Georgia. "Byron Moonshine Legend Lives On." [1] The final NASCAR race was held on November 7, 1971. Touch for directions. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Byron's historic Middle Georgia Raceway up for sale Byron. [1] In the middle of the season, Bobby Isaac won the second of the three NASCAR races held at the track in a 300 lap event. Theres just too much energy there to see the track just sit. Thornton once planned to have a moonshine festival there to commemorate another infamous event in the tracks history. NASCAR allowed the return of the Chrysler Hemi engine in 1966, and at the same time Ford decided to boycott NASCAR for the season. Bobby Allison drove from the pole to win the 274-mile (441km) race. I recently have a phone conversation with current owner Tim Thornton and he seems to be very interested in seeing the track come back to life. Please Don't invite people just to invite people. I do not know about the parking lot, it may need to have paved access roads and gravel. The 1979 Southern 500, the 30th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on September 3, 1979, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. From watching the N.p., n.d. http://bangshift.com/general-news/videos/the-true-story-behind-the-fake-racetrack-in-chrysler-s-latest-tv-commercial/. (2012-09-19). Race Results at. The premier Motorsports destination of Middle Georgia whether your into the ultimate show. In the commercial, a sign stated that it was the Brixton Motor Speedway.[4]. The track has also hosted a monster truck rally and other events while Thornton has owned it. Middle Georgia Raceway, once a full-blown NASCAR . Georgias Governor at the time, Lester Maddox, tried to repeatedly prevent the festival from taking place. Bobby Allison drove from the pole to win the 274-mile (441km) race. The only working part of the still when it was raided was a barrel of mesh "cooking", (fermenting.) Georgia Raceway was called The Speedy Morelock 200. It opened in 1966. and there is a page two --- last two years the reunion was held i could take you to where the real hooch was being run off -- if no one tells i may just make another trip ,for the chosen few. Localities in the Area. "Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers, we had definitely heard of the Allman Brothers because they were from Macon, at that time, they were the only band that opened and closed the festival so that was pretty cool.". BangShiftcom. I hope the owner decides to do something with it. Richard Petty (2010), then entering the prime of his career, won the first two races at the track in the spring of 1966 and '67.. Great photos and interesting back story, thanks for posting it. Sunshine and 70s are the name of the game this week, 'This could be you or your child' | Former Atlanta mayor asks gun owners to act responsibly after bullet enters nephew's room, Poison ivy is getting worse with climate change, Peach County's South Peach Park to get new entrance, 'Georgia Camera Ready' looking for filming sites in Peach County. 4) "The True Story Behind The Fake Racetrack in Chryslers Latest TV Commercial." Village Centerville is a city in Houston County, Georgia, United States. NASCAR began its 1968 season at the track. Middle GA Podcasts on Apple Podcasts During the video the guy that recorded the video made the statement that they had footage other than just the Hendrix part. In the early 2000s, some local people sought to bring back racing to the track, but surrounding development around the track in the years since the track closed saw that never happened. The 1969 Georgia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 9, 1969, at Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia. [1] He beat pole-sitter Pearson by 4 seconds and they were the only two cars on the lead lap. It held nine NASCAR Grand National (today's Sprint Cup) events from 1966-71. The first NASCAR race at the Middle 15 Abandoned And Forgotten NASCAR Race Tracks - HotCars Even after the raceway was closed down, it gained notoriety after Dodge used this location to film a commercial in 2011. The marker stands at the Middle Georgia Raceway. During the inaugural race, the Speedy Morelock 200, Richard Petty broke the speed record for half-mile NASCAR tracks. Nature has started to reclaim this storied race track in Byron, Georgia. ": I was there. Second Atlanta International Pop Festival Historical Marker Ill definitely have to add this one to the list! Wednesday night, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. begins a journey to visit some of racing's abandoned tracks. He thinks it would be a good location for a public park. The owner has opened the track for occasional events and reunions, but there are no plans to reopen the track. 11/04/ 1965. Pamela Mullis, 54, was sentenced to 90 to 120 days in prison after she pleaded guilty to felony theft in Houston County Superior Court. Richard Petty set a new track record with a speed of 85.121 miles per hour in November 1968. Back in the early eighties (before the referenced ARCA race), I accompanied a good friend and his ARCA car to Unadilla to display the car in promotion of the upcoming ARCA race. He said the tract has been for sale for years, but he hasnt promoted it much. I really believe that this facility has lots potential. Kulkosky, Victor. A historical marker at the property recognizes it as one of the largest public gatherings ever held in Georgia. Jump to navigation Jump to search. "Probably 15 at the time -- a bunch of us would pile in the car and come down here from Macon on Saturday night and watch, like Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, a bunch of the big guys, race.". There use to be weekly NASCAR Sortmen races that drew racers from Asheville, NC (Jack Ingram, Bosco Lowe, etc,), Tennessee (Friday Hasler, Bob Burcham, etc), Alabama (Bobby And Donnie Alison, etc), Florida (Paul Conners) and another that I dont recall where he was from (Bob Leach). [1] The final NASCAR race was held on November 7, 1971. THA MOVIE Greased Lightning starring Richard Prior had one of race scenes filmed there. Byron, GA. According to a former racer, moonshine was never sold during the Your email address will not be published. Georgia's Deep NASCAR Roots | NASCAR Hall of Fame | Curators' Corner Nine NASCAR Grand National Series races were held at the track between 1966 and 1971. Bobby Isaac was the champion of the series as NASCAR transitioned from the Grand National era to the Winston Cup era. Hey my name eddie taylor I live in Byron ga an my family has been in racing our whole life my uncle Doc ran on the dirt tracks an at middle ga raceway it was an awesome place an it really needs to be brought back to life we need to try an get people talk about it. He won the 100-mile event in his 1966 Plymouth. years.1, The Middle Georgia Raceway not only [1] Later that year, David Pearson won a 150-mile (240km) race from the pole. An aerial view of Middle Georgia Raceway, which hosted NASCAR Cup events from 1966 through 1971. [1] NASCAR's 1969 season again began at the track. The bands that performed were: Allman Brothers Band / B.B. My goal is to showcase the obscure, sometimes historic, forgotten places I have visited across the Southeast. Premium will also include non-televised Premier League soccer games beginning in August. Im unsure if Car and Driver ever filmed there. ever seen. My name is Leland Kent and I have had an interest in abandoned places ever since I was a kid. Pearson qualified on the pole and Petty won his third race at the track. I continued to follow the named drivers long after the track closed and one of my favorite drivers was Friday Hasler who was killed in a Daytona 500 qualifying race in 1972. Together, they will journey to the abandoned tracks that are no longer recognizable due to the foliage. Theres a lot of people that I think would really appreciate city of Atlanta for a week. The very first of these races was won by NASCAR legend Richard Petty. [4] On September 15, 2012, an official Georgia Historical Society marker was placed near the raceway to commemorate the 1970 pop festival. Middle Georgia Motorsports Park (Formerly Twiggs/Macon National Dragway) Track Conditions. Thornton says they may hold a special event to commemorate it. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "Byron raceway roars back to life in car ads", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Middle_Georgia_Raceway&oldid=1144342976, Motorsport venues in Georgia (U.S. state), Buildings and structures in Peach County, Georgia, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from November 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 March 2023, at 06:20. The story was so big it made national headlines. A lot of work would be needed to get it ready for an event again but Thornton said he would still consider leasing it for an event. My father, Bob Moore, and many of his friends cleaned the place up a few years ago for a car show and vintage racing. Richard Petty won four times, Bobby Allison won three, and David Pearson and Bobby Isaac each won once. He cleaned up the track, which hadnt seen a race in years, and more events were held. In 1970, the Atlanta International Pop Festival was held in a field next to the track, featuring Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers. The Middle Georgia Raceway was a popular race track for early NASCAR greats, and the 80 acres hosted one of the biggest music festivals in the 1970s. Byron, Georgia (GA), US. Centerville is situated 3 miles south of Antebellum North. The next year, federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives discovered a moonshine distillery in an underground bunker at turn three. Anyone who can come up with about $1.2 million can be the owner of a local race track with a long and colorful history. few years the race at Middle Georgia would be called the Macon 300, Middle The local newspaper described it as an elaborate, sophisticated operation with two fermenting tanks totaling 3,700 gallons. Middle Georgia Raceway, near Macon, hosted many top notch stock car events on its half-mile, paved surface. commercial, you would not be able to recognize the racetrack due to Dodge General view of the Atlanta Raceway circa 1980's at the Atlanta Raceway in Hampton, Georgia. attendance varied each year from 6,000 to 10,000 and the prize money also went