Living Jackson Magazine :: Peach State Speedway

Peach State Speedway

Has Folks Racing to Jackson County

Story & Photos by Jaclyn Weldon White

Ready for an exciting night out with the kids that doesn’t break your entertainment bank? Peach State Speedway just might be the solution—a full Saturday night of stock car racing for a surprisingly reasonable cost. The track, located in Jefferson, is under new management that is dedicated to making it a fun-filled, family-friendly destination.

Beginning opening day, March 8, the first 500 people through the admission gate will be eligible for Peach State’s new Family Package that affords parents and children a free drink and hot dog from the concession stand. Since children 12 and under are admitted free and the adult admission is $12 to $15, this is a real bargain for a family night out.

Located just off Hwy. 82, adjacent to the Jackson County Airport, the racetrack has had a presence in Jackson County for more than 40 years. The inaugural race was run there on July 30, 1967, when the enterprise was known as Jefco Speedway. Over the years, the name has changed. In 1979 it was called Georgia International Speedway and in the early ‘90s was christened Peach State Speedway. The track draws a large number of people—more than 100,000 spectators each year—and is second only to the Tanger Outlet Mall as the county’s largest attraction.

Peach State is home to the Georgia Asphalt Series (GAS), the premier Pro Late Model series in the Southeast. There are 13 GAS races scheduled for 2008 at tracks in Georgia and South Carolina. Peach State will host six of those races. The season will end in November here at the series’ home track with the World Crown Classic where the winner will claim $10,000 in prize money.

The Jefferson speedway is known as “Georgia’s fastest half-mile oval track,” a title that track promoter Vince Whitmire says it deserves. “Some drivers come from other tracks, run one race here and never come back. When you ask them why, they say it’s too fast for them.”

But it’s been just right for some of the sport’s most famous drivers. Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth have all raced here, along with Neil Bonnett, Dick Trickle and David Pearson. Legendary NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip won the Busch Series Budweiser 200 here in 1986 and the late Adam Petty made his professional racing debut at Peach State in 1998.

Race nights at Peach State include qualifying, heat and feature races. Drivers range in age from 14 to 62. Over the course of three or four hours, race goers can expect to see a variety of trucks and cars tearing around the half-mile track in pursuit of the checkered flag.

“We’ll have between 300 and 400 laps of racing on a typical Saturday night,” says Whitmire, a Hall County native and former NASCAR truck driver.

And race goers can expect to see a variety of racing classes and vehicles. The Pro Late Model sedans—Monte Carlos, Tauruses and Chargers—are similar in appearance and performance to those you’ll find in the NASCAR races. Trucks also race at Peach State, along with the Outlaw Late Models, the Sportsman Class and the Mini Stock Division.

It’s the Mini Stock Division that attracts the most entrants at Peach State. They are also the fan favorites. These compact Pintos, Mustangs, Cavaliers and Toyotas are thrilling to watch, zipping in and out of the field and often racing three- and four-wide.

Among those who call Peach State home is Russell Fleeman, who races the No. 207 Ford Fusion. This veteran driver, the 2007 Georgia Asphalt Series champion, has raced in Jefferson for almost 20 years. His wife and daughter usually accompany him to the track and he believes it’s a great place for families to go.

“I really enjoy seeing kids at the track with smiles on their faces.”

According to Russell, the sport of racing may soon see a second generation Fleeman. His 12-year-old daughter, Amber, is eager to follow in his footsteps.

“She’s been going with me to the track since she was able to walk. She wants to race. Racing is a rough life, but I enjoy it. So I can’t tell her she can’t do it.”

Amber has already competed in go-kart racing and hopes to move up to the Bandolero Series mini-cars in the near future. Her mother, Tammy Fleeman, knows the danger inherent in the sport, but still supports her daughter’s dream.

“I think it’s inevitable that she’s going to race. She absolutely loves racing,” she said.

Michael Lance of Dacula raced at Peach State for 14 years. “I started when I was 18. No telling how many laps I’ve been around that place. Many miles, traveling in a circle,” said Lance, who describes himself as semi-retired. “I sold my car a little over a year ago so I could focus on my business.”

But even without a car of his own, he can’t stay away from the track. He’s returned often as a spectator and in 2007 ran five races at Peach State, driving other people’s cars. He enjoys the Jackson County track. “It’s a high-banked, asphalt oval. It’s easy to slip and slide out there, and there’s room to move around on the track. It has a lot of character.”

Lance isn’t the only one who uses that term to describe Peach State. Kyle Fowler says, “The track has a lot of character. Racing there is great. The surface has a lot of grip and it’s high banked. There’s a lot of side-by-side racing. It’s exciting and the drivers love it.”

Fowler, who was the 2007 Georgia Asphalt Series Rookie of the Year, is only 16 years old, but he’s been racing since he was 4-and-a-half. His parents, Lisa and Mike Fowler, are Kyle’s racing team, making this a real family affair.

Every car Kyle has driven since he started has sported the number four. The Chevrolet Monte Carlo he’ll be racing at Peach State this spring is no different.

The high school sophomore is definite about where he’s headed in life. “My ambition is trying to make it to NASCAR. That’s been my ambition since I was four years old. And the Georgia Asphalt Series is just another step on that road.”

Racing may be king at Peach State, but it’s not the only thing you’ll find there in 2008. Whitmire and track owner Paul Kegel plan to introduce a number of new family-friendly events during the 2008 season. Along with the playground and driver autograph sessions, kids will be able to participate in occasional bicycle or cardboard box races around the big oval track. There will also be nights honoring specific Jackson County schools whose students will receive discounts.

On the second Saturday of every month the track will host a day long Car Show and Swap Meet. Show cars, antiques, muscle cars and just about anything else that can be driven will be on display. People’s Choice Awards, voted on by the public for the best cars, will be presented at each show. The swap meet will be the place to go to purchase cars, car parts and other automotive merchandise at a bargain price.

At the end of May, Peach State will donate the use of the facilities for the Amerian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life as it does every year. This annual fund-raising event attracts several thousand people during the three-day period.

On July 3, the Thursday before Independence Day, there’ll be a special racing event and a fireworks display. And in the fall, the track will host an old-fashioned fair, complete with rides, games, cotton candy and candied apples.

The racing season at Peach State begins in March. Events are usually held two Saturdays a month through November. The first 2008 Georgia Asphalt Series race is scheduled for March 29 and the season-ending World Crown 300 on Nov. 8 will bring in drivers from all over the country. In past years, colleagues from Colorado, New York, Michigan and Indiana have joined southeastern drivers. A full schedule of the 2008 events can be found at www.peachstspeedway.com.

Return visitors to the track will see a difference this year. Peach State Speedway is being refurbished and the list of events has been broadened to attract a larger variety of people. The grandstands, which accommodate 6,000 race fans, are being repainted. There will be three different sections—white, green and black and white checkered—to reflect the flags used on the racetrack.

Whitmire believes the fans will be pleased with the changes. “Come out. If you’ve never been here before, you’ll like it. If you have been here before, come back again. It’ll all be new.

Jaclyn Weldon White is an author living in Hoschton. White has written six books and frequently writes for magazines and newspapers. This is her first article in Living Jackson.