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A big night of racing is on tap at Peach State Speedway on Saturday. Not only will it be the season finale for the Georgia Asphalt Series, the National Vintage Racing Association has been added to the card.

The 2008 GAS Series season will come to a close with the Hedman Husler Hedder 100. The 2008 series points championship is coming down to the wire between 2007 GAS Series Champion Russell Fleeman and Ryan Seig. [ Full Story » ] 

Chris Whorton, the 2007 Lanier National Speedway champion, showed why he scored that title with a big victory Saturday night in the James Garrison Memorial 100, an ASA Southeast Asphalt Series Pro Late Model event, at Lanier National Speedway.

Whorton held off a hard charge by young Kyle Fowler, who finished second. Pendergrass driver Paul Kelley finished third, while Stephen McCurley and Shawn Simpson rounded out the top five.

Other local finishers inclued Braselton's Jimmy Garmon, who finished eighth, Commerce driver Dennis Wilder in 14th, Taylor Satterfield, of Commerce, in 15th, Joey Senter, of Jefferson, in 15th, former Jefferson resident Ryan Crane in 18th, Dacula's Russell Fleeman in 26th, and Braselton's Shane Sawyer in 29th.

Senter won the pole for the event.

For more, check this week's edition of The Jackson Herald.

Braselton’s Shane Sawyer won the Pro Late Model event at Lanier National Speedway over the weekend, holding off Shane Simpson for the victory. Sawyer had to work his way from the back of the pack during Saturday’s late model feature, and led the final 12 laps en route to the win.

Maysville’s Joey Love won his 17th Open Wheel Modified division event of the season.
[ Full Story » ] 

Back on August 9, I was fortunate enough to be present at a timeless event.

That’s when the inaugural Lakewood Speedway Family Reunion was held at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, located at the Dawsonville City Municipal Complex.

An estimated 400 or so former racers, fans and family members came out to tell stories, shake hands and remember one of the grandest speedways in history, which was located just south of Atlanta.
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Traditional race fans got a pleasant surprise last Thursday morning when the announcement was made that the Southern 500 would be returning to the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, in name at least, at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina in 2009.

The Southern 500 was one of the races that helped build NASCAR into what it is today. But a desire to cash in on a supposed goldmine of fans in California (that has since failed to materialize) saw Darlington’s traditional date go to the California Speedway in 2003. The Southern 500 event itself, after a one-year run in November, was done away with in 2005.
[ Full Story » ] 

Tony Stewart recently made the announcement that his racecar next year, as part of his buy-in to the current Haas-CNC team, will be number 14.

The reason Tony went with this number was his connection to one of his racing heroes, legendary racer A.J. Foyt.
[ Full Story » ] 

Make it win number 14 for Joey Love, as the Maysville native beat Shane Howington in a last-lap showdown at Lanier National Speedway Saturday night. Love beat Howington to the finish line by mere inches in the Open Wheel Modified division.

Braselton’s Shane Sawyer finished third in the Pro Late Model division at Lanier Saturday. Shawn Simpson took the win, his eighth of the season.

Commerce’s Ty Lowe found victory lane again this weekend, this time in the Fastrak Crate Late Model event at Toccoa Speedway Saturday.

For more on this story, read Wednesday's edition of The Commerce News, The Jackson Herald, The Braselton News.

After reading several of the reports and opinions about Saturday’s Nationwide series race in Montreal, which was run as a steady rain fell, one supposed “fact” was stated several times.

The offending item was the notion that Saturday’s event was the first ever NASCAR race run in the rain.

That’s because it’s a glaring error. [ Full Story » ] 

Several area racers found their way into victory lane at area racetracks over the weekend.

Commerce racer Ty Lowe added some hardware to his trophy shelf by winning the Crate Late Model division at Lavonia Speedway Friday night. It was his second win on area dirt tracks in as many weeks.

Paul Kelley of Pendergrass and Braselton’s Shane Sawyer put on a late-race duel at Lanier National Speedway Saturday, swapping the lead three times in the last five laps before Kelley took the lead for good. Sawyer made a late charge, but Kelley was able to just stay ahead at the finish line for the win in the 100-lap Pro Late model event. [ Full Story » ]