[1] Later that year, David Pearson won a 150-mile (240 km) race from the pole. The 1971 Georgia 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that occurred on November 7, 1971, at Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia. After eleven days of filming for the Dodge Durango, filming wrapped up and the commercial was eventually aired. [4] A few years ago[when? It held nine NASCAR Grand National (today's Sprint Cup) events from 1966-71. "I think (the commercial) is going to be great for the area," she said. Dodge didn't want their competition to know what they were doing, and they didn't want a lot of onlookers. An estimated 300,000 people descended on Byron, which then had about 2,000 residents, to hear legendary musical acts including Jimi Hendrix and The Allman Brothers Band. The Middle Georgia Raceway was a raceway located in Byron, Georgia, in the United States. Richard Petty won four titles, while Bobby Allison won three. Vincent Crothers, a racing fan who lives in Macon, saw a video of the Dodge Durango commercial on YouTube. Richard Petty won four races, Bobby Allison won three, and David Pearson and Bobby Isaac each earned one victory. The first race -- the Speedy Morelock 200 NASCAR Grand National stock car race -- was named after the late Speedy Morelock, a top driver and mechanic of the day. Primary Sidebar Widget Area. The 1970 Georgia 500 also occurred at the track. Weeds poke through the pavement in some places, while bushes and small trees grow between the concrete stands and the racetrack. [1], Over the Fourth of July weekend in 1970, the second annual Atlanta International Pop Festival was held in a soybean field adjacent to the track. Police Dept. The oval track was built in 1966 for $500,000. The Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association Inc. is dedicated to the preservation of the history of Automobile racing in Georgia. This 1/2 mile paved oval track has been abandoned since 1984. From 1966 to 1971, the track hosted nine NASCAR races with winners including Richard Petty and Bobby Allison. Alaska; Arizona; California; Colorado; Hawaii; Idaho; Montana; Nevada; New Mexico; Oregon; Utah; Washington; Wyoming; South. View NASCAR Cup Series driver stats at this track. Search for: Search. If your name wasn't on the list, you didn't get in.". In the 1970s, there was also a massive concert held there that the good people of Georgia were none too pleased about. "They had 150 people and probably 50 pieces of heavy equipment ... including a rain maker. "We talked about doing a concert to kind of re-enact the Pop Festival -- but without the drugs. Reviews. Tim Thornton, owner of the Middle Georgia Raceway, talks on Aug. 30, 2019 about the history of the raceway and what he hopes the next owner will do with the track. He covered the 250 miles (400 km) with a speed of 85.121 miles per hour (136.989 km/h) which was the fastest in the track's NASCAR history. "I could only tell them they were shooting an ad" but no other details. Middle Georgia Raceway. After production ended, Dodge agreed to repaint the walls, and Thornton asked the company to change the name to Middle Georgia Motor Speedway, "even though that's not technically the name," he said. Middle Georgia Raceway Middle Georgia Raceway, Macon, Ga. History also was made when the racetrack was the site of the 1970 Atlanta International Pop Festival, more commonly called the Byron Pop Festival. He led for 159 of the 200 laps, and his average speed of 82.023 mph broke the NASCAR record for half-mile tracks. Richard Petty won four races, Bobby Allison won three, and David Pearson and Bobby Isaac each earned one victory. "So, I knew that was the racetrack -- the pine trees in the middle and the grandstands," he said. Middle Georgia Raceway, once a full-blown NASCAR Grand National track where Richard Petty and other racing legends battled it out, is for sale. "They thought it was a carnival or something like that out there," she said. The Middle Georgia Raceway opened in 1966, with many of the racing biggies earning victories there. Click on the race number to see the results of that race. The long-closed Middle Georgia Raceway roared back to life (in the spring of 2011), if only for a few days. Ken Ragan, father of 2-Time NASCAR Winner David Ragan, won the final race at Middle Georgia Raceway, as said on Peacock's Lost Speedways, hosted by NASCAR On NBC Announcer Dale Earnhardt Jr. This 1/2 mile paved oval track has been abandoned since 1984. In 2011, Dodge contacted the current owner and asked to use the track for an advertisement. The property is for sale. Website. The story was so big it made national headlines. They not only aged the outside wall's new paint job, but they also gave the track a new name and painted a portion of the wall with a checkerboard design. This video file cannot be played. The old track had sat dormant for many years, but a group of volunteers worked tirelessly to get the track ready for … Classic Photo Archives Middle Georgia Raceway. LeeRoy Yarbrough sat on the pole position and Bobby Allison won the 267-mile (430 km) race. Middle Georgia Raceway, once a full-blown NASCAR Grand National track where Richard Petty and other racing legends battled it out, is for sale. | Byron Municipal Court Online, Copyright ©2021 Mayor and Council Byron, GA, All Rights Reserved. Thornton had to sign a confidentially agreement that he would keep the ads a secret until the commercials were ready to air. The oval track was built in 1966 for $500,000. Byron is home to the Middle Georgia Raceway, a racetrack that was host to the Atlanta International Pop Festival in 1970, which was the largest gathering in Georgia history until the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta Byron is located at 32°38′56″N 83°45′20″W / 32.64889°N 83.75556°W / 32.64889; -83.75556 (32.648908, -83.755640). In the commercial, a sign stated that it was the Brixton Motor Speedway.[4]. Pictures Scanned at Middle Georgia Racway Reunion [Show slideshow] Site Links. [3] Allison won the 274-mile (441 km) event in a 1969 Dodge. The race was not sectioned by Nascar, but was by an organization called “STARS” (Short Track Auto Racing Systems). Middle Georgia Raceway (abandoned) (Google Maps). | Fire Dept. The Middle Georgia Raceway is located near Byron, Georgia. The last race happened in 1971, and by 1986 it was closed. The Middle Georgia Raceway opened in 1966, with many of the racing biggies earning victories there. He proposed to his wife before the race. [1] NASCAR's 1969 season again began at the track. They also bought a local car for $2,000 that was driven into the wall to give the appearance of crash marks. Nine NASCAR Grand National Series races were held at the track between 1966 and 1971. In front of a crowd of 7,500 spectators, Petty hit a top speed of 82.023 miles per hour. The Middle Georgia Raceway is located near Byron, Georgia. 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. Middle Georgia Raceway Macon, GA. Glossary Tweet: NASCAR Cup Series Race Recaps. Middle Georgia Raceway (abandoned) (Google Maps). Tim Thornton, owner of Thornton Realty Co. in Macon, and his family's business partnership bought the 62-acre racetrack site about five years ago for a land development site. Richard Petty won four races, Bobby Allison won three, and David Pearson and Bobby Isaac each earned one victory. [2] The final race was held near the end of the year.

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