The second annual Lakewood Speedway Family Reunion, set for August 8 at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, will be a very special one.
That’s because Georgia Racing Hall of Famer and area native Raymond Parks will be honored by local dignitaries during the event, as they will proclaim August 8 “Raymond Parks Day” in Dawsonville.
Parks, the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup champion car owner, was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, Alabama earlier this year, and was recently announced as one of the first 25 nominees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Parks’ history with the legendary Lakewood Speedway goes back to his first race as a car owner, when cousin Lloyd Seay piloted Parks’ Ford to a win in one of the first organized stock car events in the state, held at Lakewood in 1938. His cars were constant winners at Lakewood and around the south, with drivers such as Roy Hall, Red Byron, Bob Flock and Fonty Flock behind the wheel.
The inaugural Lakewood Speedway Family Reunion was a great success, and the city of Dawsonville is looking forward to another great event this year. The city of Dawsonville and the Hall of Fame invites former racers, family members, car owners and fans to attend the reunion, along with owners of restored racecars to attend. Lakewood Speedway is viewed by many historians to be the most historic and important racetrack in Georgia history. Built in 1917 around a former water reservoir for the city of Atlanta, the one-mile dirt oval was the scene of events for stock cars, Indy cars, motorcycles and even speedboats on the infield lake. Known as “The Indianapolis of the South”, Lakewood was one of the most prestigious stops on several national stock car and open wheel circuits over the years. Lakewood played host to NASCAR in the 1950s, with hall of fame racers Lee Petty, Tim Flock, Curtis Turner, Junior Johnson, Tiny Lund and others finding victory lane. Indy Cars often made their way to the Atlanta track, with drivers such as Ted Horn, Al Keller, Eddie Sachs and Bill Holland taking top honors. In holding the Lakewood Reunion, the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame hopes to help keep the memory and history of Lakewood alive. Attendees are asked to bring any personal photos they may have from the speedway to share, and to be scanned into the GRHOF archives. The cost to attend this year’s Lakewood Reunion is $20 at the door, or $15 if tickets are ordered prior to August 3. For more information, call 706-265-3256 or go online to HYPERLINK "http://www.georgiaracinghof.com"
UPCOMING
LIVE
RACE BROADCAST
Join
the all NEW Georgia Stock Car Racing Fans mailing list
for 2099 and stay up to date!
