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North Georgia Speedway Review
Late Model Mark
May 11, 2009
Pinson, Alabama
It was time to find out for myself if all the negative talk from fans and the internet keyboard commandos' from the past was true in 2010. On May 8th, I made the very long drive up to North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth for a $5000-to-win Southern All Star show. This edition of the Red Clay Report will be a review of the trip up to this track in the Northwest corner of Georgia.
From all accounts, the previous promoting team had let the track fall into disrepair, ignored track prep, and ran poor programs. This is 2010 and a new team is in charge and I can describe the night and experience at the track in one word, impressive. Leaving the house on the hill here in Alabama shortly after 1:00pm. for the 200 plus mile drive to the track, losing one hour as you are in the Eastern time zone, I wanted to be there early to soak it all in. Riding along with a truckload of buddies who knew the fast route to the track, we followed the route we would take to go to Rome Speedway. Going thru Rome it was another 60 miles to the track. Near the end of the trip we exited off Interstate 75 and onto a 2-lane hwy 225 that winds thru some rural and very green country. 14 miles later we see the sign and make the turn passing by three houses that are real close to the track, and then, there is the track. Circled by thick woods, the track is in a nice location. I jump out of the truck and head for the pit gate to get my nights credentials while the rest of the group head for the grandstands.
This the part where the word impressive comes in for the rest of the whole night. I was greeted warmly by two very courteous ladys at the pit gate. I could see the pits were full and buzzing with activity, the water truck was squirtin' the access roads as teams were preparing the racecars for action. The pits are large, they are off the backstraight and behind turn 4. The 2 Hobby divisions pit in the infield but they do not obstruct the view of the track. There are two nice grandstands on the backstraight with a busy concession stand and a restroom buliding in the middle. Looking at the track, it is sure is a high-banked deal, nice and wide. Looked to me like there was new walls and fencing. The track in the past had a reputation of being dark, now it has plenty lights. The track was run in by what looked like late 70s' or early 80s' Lincoln Continentals' and Ford LTDs' that had big ole Hoosiers on 'em. There is a nice scoreboard in the middle of turns 1 and 2. The main straight has an interesting seating arrangement, it is up quite high, The control tower is in the middle that also has a nice viewing platform that I took full advantage of. The grandstand has around 8 rows of aluminum seats with backs, then a small walkway and then another 5 or 6 rows of backed seats. Below that is 4 or 5 rows of terrace seating for the lawn chairs folks. In front of that is a well groomed grass area that runs about 30 feet to the track. The sound system in the past was said to be hard to hear, it has been upgraded and works well. The restrooms were new looking and clean.
Just before the drivers meeting at 7:00pm started, one of the two new track promoters, Timmy Millwood came up and introduced himself to me, here is that word again, Timmy is an impressive person who has the fire and drive to run a track. Timmy, alongside fellow promoter Tom Peters, has taken a closed and tired track to new and exciting levels. Timmy was some kind of guy, he was very gracious and happy with how things are turning out at North Georgia Speedway. He should be, this is one well run track. During the night you could always find the water truck keeping all the access roads moist, even the road to the huge green grass spectator parking area was watered down.
The weather this day was cool and very windy. My thought was that the track would be a dry dustbowl, nope, the track did dry out some but it was wide and racy with very little dust considering the wind that blew all night. At 7:15pm. hot laps started and finished with the Late Models at 7:45pm. Racing started at 8:00pm. sharp, Late Model time trials at 8:30pm. After hot laps and time trials you could easily tell that this track was one racy joint, man these turns are banked! The whole was tight and very well run. No lagging at all, any stoppages were cleaned up very quickly, impressive. Just before the S.A.S. feature I went over to the concessions to get a cup of joe, the lines moved fast, the prices were low for the food and drinks, the staff working the concessions were so nice and friendly, serving you with a smile and ending with a warm thank you. Impressive again.
The big crowd on hand was a welcome sight for sure, the trackside parking spots in turn 1 and all thru turns 3 and 4 were all packed with Late Model fans. The 50 lap Super Late Model feature was a ripper, great 2 and 3-wide action all race long. The last 20 laps had a classic battle of the three cars of eventual race winner Ray Cook, Randy Weaver, and Skip Arp. The track had held up despite the wind and provided excellent, I repeat, excellent action. The track configuration suits Late Models well, passing, action, excitement, all the things you hope for when you go to a race. The race finished before 11:00pm and shortly after that we were on our way for the long drive home. You know you have seen a good show when our whole group talked all the way home about the show. Impressive.
Mr. Millwood and Mr. Peters deserve a big "atta-boy" for the job they have done at North Georgia Speedway. A good clean facility, a good staff, a very well run program, and a racy track surface. You will be treated with kindness and respect, they are truly glad and thankfull that you choose to plunk down your hard earned cash to come to their track. I had a great time at the track, enjoyed the racing, and I will be back. As we drove thru the dark roads of the country, one word kept popping into my head about North Georgia Speedway, impressive!
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