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PAGE 2B - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS - FEBRUARY 27, 2008
Auto Racing
The National Vintage Racing Series will help open Peach State Speedway 2008 season on
March 8. The NVRA’s “Vintage Thunder” series features vintage circle track racers from all over
the south. Photo by Brandon Reed
NVRA To Kick Off Peach State Season
Free Admission To March 1 Practice
Peach State Speedway in Jefferson will kick off its
2008 racing season on Saturday evening, March 8,
when the National Vintage Racing Series (NVRA)
makes its first visit of the season to the fast 1/2 mile
oval.
The NVRA is an organization of owners and
drivers of 1929-1968 vintage circle track stock
cars. Entering its twelfth year, the NVRA “Vintage
Thunder" Racing Series is the largest touring vintage
stockcar racing series in the United States . Some of
the race cars are restored originals that ran on tracks
in the southeast in the '50s, '60s and '70s while oth
ers are replicas of stockcars from that era.
The NVRA average from 30 to 35 cars per race
with members coming from North Carolina, South
Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky,
and Georgia, as well as one long-time loyal member
who comes from Delaware to race with the NVRA.
The “Vintage Thunder" racing series is just that, “a
racing series," not a group of old race cars parading
around the track. Race fans witness an authentic
presentation of stock car racing the way it use to
be “back in the day." The NVRA races five classes
of vintage stockcars: Limited Sportsman (1930-1957
bodies on factory frames and powered by flathead
V-8 or inline six engines); Modified Sportsman
(1930-54 bodies on factory frames and OHV V-8
engines); Late Model Sportsman (1949 - 1968 bod
ies on OEM chassis with OHV V-8’s) Late Model
Modified (1949 - 1968 bodies on modified frames
with OHV V-8’s); and the fastest division, Modified
Open (1929-1968 bodies on racing chassis), many
with over 600-HP engines.
In addition to the vintage racers, the Peach State
Super Truck, Outlaw Late Model (formerly Iceman),
Sportsman and Mini-Stock classes will also com
pete.
Season passes and trackside parking spots at
currently available for purchase for the '08 season.
Contact the speedway for more information. For
more information about the speedway, log onto
www.peachstspeedway.com or call 706-387-7490.
There will be an Open Practice for all local classes
on Saturday, March 1, beginning at 2 p.m. The
grandstands will be open to the public with free
admission.
Remembering The Big "O"
As the NASCAR guys worked
to wrap up the rain-delayed rac
es out at the California Speed
way this past weekend, it was
hard not to reflect on what might
have been.
The first race at the Fontana,
Calif, track was held on June 22,
1997. Less than two miles away
from the gleaming new speed
plant was the dusty remnants
of what could have been one of
the finest racing facilities in the
country.
The Ontario Motor Speedway,
located 40 miles east of Los An
geles, was built in 1970 at a re
ported cost of about $25.5 mil
lion. The track was intended to
be an all-purpose facility.
The most recognizable section
of the track was its 2.5-mile oval
course. The track was modeled
after the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, but featured a wider
racing surface, as well as slight
ly banked short-chutes between
the first and second, and third
and fourth turns. This made lap
times at the track faster than its
eastern cousin.
A 20-turn road course was
built into the infield of the facil
ity. The wide pit road was also
used as a drag strip, and hosted
the first ever 250 mile and hour
run by “Big Daddy" Don Garlits
in 1975.
The icing on the cake was the
circle of bricks from the India
napolis Motor Speedway that
made up Ontario’s victory lane,
in the shape of a big “O."
The first event at the mag
nificent new track was held on
Labor Day of 1970. It was a
500-mile USAC Indy car race,
won by Jim McElreath in a Ford
powered Coyote.
The next year, Ontario brought
Down
The
Stretch
BY BRANDON REED
in the big NASCAR stock cars,
but there was still an Indy con
nection in the event. A.J. Foyt
won the first NASCAR Cup
event at the track, and would
win the event again in 1972. A.J.
would also find success at the
track in his Indy car, winning in
March of 1975.
After leaving the track in 1973,
NASCAR would return in 1974,
and would hold its season fi
nale at the Southern California
track for the next seven years.
Drivers such as Bobby Allison,
Buddy Baker, David Pearson,
Neil Bonnett, and Benny Par
sons would all find victory lane.
The racing was phenomenal,
with cars often stacking three
and four wide down the long
straightaways.
For the Indy Cars, the list of
winners read like an Indy 500
champions who’s who. Bobby
Unser was a four-time winner,
while his brother A1 Unser
would twice visit victory lane.
Other winners included USAC
Camp Joe Leonard, Roger Mc-
Cluskey and Wally Dallenbach,
Sr.
There was a lot of history writ
ten there. Cale Yarborough was
crowned Cup champion three
times there. Richard Petty and
Darrell Waltrip fought over the
1979 championship on the On
tario oval, with Petty taking his
seventh title by a mere 11 points.
And one year later, a kid named
Dale Earnhardt would win the
first of his seven titles at the
track.
But despite the quality racing,
Ontario was in trouble. Finan
cial plans had been made based
on hopelessly over-ambitious at
tendance numbers. After a huge
turnout for the track’s inaugural
events, attendance numbers be
gan dropping. The writing was
on the wall.
The final Indy car event at
the track was held in August
of 1980, won by Bobby Unser.
The final Cup event was held in
November, with Benny Parsons
winning.
The track went bankrupt,
and the Ontario Motor Speed
way deemed a failure. The city
sold the track to Chevron Land
Management for $ 10 million. In
1981, it was demolished, wiped
off the face of the earth at a cost
of $3 million.
Nothing remains of the track
today. In the mid 1980s, a ho
tel was built on the fourth turn
of the old track. Developments
run down its front stretch. A
hockey arena is currently be
ing built on the site of the third
turn.
If the track could have survived
a few more years and entered
into the television era of racing,
it’s very possible it would still be
there, and be one of the biggest
show places in motor sports.
Instead, we’re left to wonder
what might have been.
•Brandon Reed is a reporter
for MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
Contact him at brandon@main-
streetnews.com.
Angler Awards Given By Georgia DNR
Get recognized for your record
catch. Each year, the Georgia
Department of Natural Resourc
es, Wildlife Resources Division
(WRD) recognizes anglers for
outstanding and state-record
catches. Anglers who catch new
state records (fish with weights
that exceed the previous record
by one ounce) or those who
catch a fish that meets or beats
a specific weight or length limit
for that species (angler award)
are eligible for recognition.
Submit a clear photograph of
FOR INFORMATION
ABOUT
CANCER,
INFORMATION ON
SERVICES AND PROGRAMS,
CALL THE
AMERICAN CANCER
SOCIETY
24 HOURS A DAY 7 DAYS A
WEEK
1-800-227-2345
OR ON THE INTERNET AT
WWW.CANCER.ORG
the fish for proper identifica
tion and length verification (the
photo should at least show the
entire length of the fish and the
ruler or tape used to measure
the fish). In addition, a photo of
the angler with the fish is also
required. Complete an applica
tion and submit with photos.
u ^
State record applications must
be received within 90 days of
the catch. Information regarding
angler awards and state record
fish can be found on the WRD
website at www.gofishgeorgia.
com or in the Georgia Sport
Fishing Regulations Guidebook
available at all WRD offices.
■ ■
Banks County
Sportsman’s
Banquet
at Banks County High School
Saturday, March 1, 6:30 p.m.
Free Bar-B-Que and stew meal
Door prizes plus
Grand Prize of One DeerHunting trip
to Illinois Donated by
Rut and Strut Outfitters
Guest Speaker outdoor professional
Joey Hancock
No charge for the event-Need ticket to attend
Tickets available at
Shuler’s at Banks Crossing
or Southern Outdoors
2 Miles north of Banks Crossing on Hwy. 441
T1
M JEFFERSON, GEORGIA r
Where Speed Lives In Georgia
Saturday, March 8
National Vintage Racing
Plus
• Outlaw Late Models • Super Trucks
• Sportsman • Mini Stocks • Bandits
Gates Open at 12:00 p.m. - Race Starts at 2:00 p.m.
General Admission: $10 - Senior Citizens: $8
- Children 12 & Under Free
OPENING DAY
For more information, call 706-387-7490
www.peachstspeedway. com
Located at 1-85 North Exit 140 and follow the signs.
388 Lyle Field Rd. - Jefferson, Ga
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