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The True Citizen, Wednesday, January 5, 2022 — Page 5
Ronda Rich
GORDON PIRKLE-PART THREE
(This is the third in a three
part series about a Southern
Appalachian legend.)
From the moment that
George Elliott stopped in for
a bite at the Dawsonville Pool
Room in the mid-1970s and
told the joint’s owner, Gordon
Pirkle, that the Elliott fam
ily was going to take a run at
NASCAR, Pirkle was fully on
board.
In the beginning, Gordon
was head cheerleader, rally
ing together everyone to root
for hometown folks. Bill, the
youngest son, had proven
his driving skills at Dixie
Speedway near Atlanta and
the other Elliotts - George,
Ernie and Dan — were hard
working, mountain smart and
book smart, all having gradu
ated from college. More than
that, they had wily minds that
could conceive, then produce,
engineering feats that baffled
Detroit’s finest.
“I knowed that George and
them boys would go places,”
Gordon said. “I knowed George
all his life and he didn’t back
off. Moonshine was Dawson’s
first industry. Then came rac
ing. We had Raymond Parks,
Lloyd Seay, Roy Hall, Gober
Sosebee. There’s no county that
has produced more Daytona
winners than Dawson. It’s in
our blood.”
The mountain curves are
treacherous. In the early days,
the hometown moonshine run
ners knew those menacing
mountains turns so well that
they killed their head lights,
revved their juiced-up engines,
then left the sheriff behind.
Mr. Parks had been so deeply
involved in NASCAR’s early
organization - he was there
during the official formation at
the Streamline Motel in Day
tona - that Gordon and Gober’s
son, David, began a diligent
campaign, using every contact
they had, to get him into the
NASCAR Hall of Fame. It
took years of doggedness but in
2017, Gordon and the Dawson
County constituency attended
to watch Mr. Parks’ induction.
This Hall of Fame accom
plishment is such that it will
probably never be equaled for
a variety of reasons including
that racing pioneers of the
1940s and 50s are increas
ingly overlooked. Bill Elliott is
there, too. Other than the Pettys
from Level Cross, no town is
represented as grandly as Daw
sonville. Lloyd Seay should be
there, too. Chase Elliott will
surely make it one day.
The Elliotts, as storied as
they became, struggled for
years, trying to make it on
George’s money and bits of
sponsorship. In 1983’s last
race in Riverside, California,
the red-head who commanded
the mountain curves of his
upbringing, won his first NAS
CAR race on a road course.
Gordon and several friends
were listening on the radio
when it looked pretty sure that
Bill Elliott was going to win his
first race, an idea hit Gordon.
Years earlier, he had donated
a siren to the volunteer fire
department at Liberty. They
had recently bought a new one
so Gordon’s brother-in-law
returned the siren. It was sit
ting in the junk room next to
the Pool Room.
Gordon lugged the siren out,
hooked it up and when Bill
won, the screeching, honking
siren blasted. And sounded for
hours. People stopped to ask,
“What’s going on?”
“Bill Elliott won his first race
and we’re celebratin’” Gordon
announced happily.
Every race fan today knows
about the Dawsonville Pool
Room and its siren that screams
when a Dawsonville driver
wins a race. In 1984, the El
liotts nudged up into the group
of top teams. In 1985, they
became the top team, leaving
all others in their dust. Gor
don, historian extraordinaire,
became the goodwill Ambas
sador who spent endless hours
feeding Bully Burgers to the
press, reciting the county’s
deep history, and even taking
some to see Lloyd Seay’s grave
with the large monument that
Mr. Parks bought for him.
When Gordon decided to
reopen the Pool Room after the
pandemic, he invited me and
Governor Brian Kemp to help
cut the ribbon. Afterwards,
a small group gathered for a
lunch of chili dogs and burgers.
I began telling astonishing sto
ries of the race drivers whose
photos hang on the wall.
The Governor’s eyes wid
ened. Gordon smiled and nod
ded. “That’s right. Every word
she’s fellin’ is the gospel.”
Gordon taught me well. I
love that man deeply.
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