Lavonia Speedway
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| Location | Lavonia, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Time zone | EST/EDT (-0500/-0400) |
| Coordinates | 34°24′36″N 83°02′18″W / 34.409884°N 83.038208°WCoordinates: 34°24′36″N 83°02′18″W / 34.409884°N 83.038208°W ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽ |
| Capacity | 2,500[1] |
| Owner | Scott Childress[2] |
| Opened | 1971 2013 (reopened) |
| Closed | 2010-2012 |
| Former names | The "New" Lavonia Speedway (2018-2021) |
| Major events | Current: Buck Simmons Memorial (Dirt Super Late Model) Rusty Jordan Memorial (Street Stock/Modified Street) Past: World of Outlaws Late Model Series (2014, 2018-2021) |
| Surface | Dirt (1971-1992, 1994-present) Asphalt (1993) |
| Length | 0.375 mi (0.604 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Race lap record | 14.990 (Zack Mitchell, Barry Wright House Car, 2022, Dirt Super Late Model[3]) |
| Website | https://www.lavoniaspeedway.net/ |
Lavonia Speedway is a dirt race track located in Lavonia, Georgia. It currently has a length of 0.375 mi (0.604 km).
Lavonia is apart of a 3-track family in North East Georgia along with Toccoa Raceway and the very recently closed Hartwell Speedway.[4]
History[edit]
Lavonia Speedway opened in 1971. The track was converted into an asphalt track in 1993 only to revert to a dirt track the following year.[5]
The track closed once in 2010 but was later brought back to competition after a few years away in 2013.[6]
Track Champions[edit]
| Year | Champion | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Late Models | 602 Crate Dirt Late Models | Open Wheel Modifieds | Modified Street | |||||||
| 2016 | David McCoy | David McCoy | not held | Unknown | ||||||
| 2017 | Bubba Russell | Rusty House | not held | Rusty Jordan | ||||||
| 2018 | no champions crowned | |||||||||
| 2019 | Kenny Collins | John Price | not held | Sterling Helm | ||||||
| 2020 | Kenny Collins | Vince Fanello | Chris Nickerson | Rusty Jordan | ||||||
| 2021 | Drew Benfield | David McCoy | David Dove | Michael Segars | ||||||
| 2022 | Vince Fanello | Paris Simmons | David Dove | Jennifer Everett | ||||||
| 2023 | -* | -* | -* | -* | ||||||
Hall of Fame[edit]
Since 2021 Lavonia has had a Hall of Fame for drivers including a race weekend for the occasion on normally the 2nd to last race weekend of the season each year.
Inductees into the Hall of Fame[edit]
Inaugural class (2021)[edit]
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Charlie Mize | Track owner, operator, and promoter |
| Aaron Gailey | Driver |
| C.L. Pritchett | Driver and car owner |
Class of 2022[edit]
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Jabez Jones | Driver and owner |
| Kenneth Alewine | Driver |
| Steve Chastain | Driver |
| Donald Buffington | Driver |
Class of 2023[edit]
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Mike White | Driver and promoter |
| Tim Headen | Driver and crew chief |
| Hotrod LaMance | Driver |
Buck Simmons Memorial[edit]
Dirt Super Late Model driver Buck Simmons passed away in late-2012 leaving behind a very long lasting legacy. Ever since they've held a Dirt Super Late Model race annually with various organizations, currently the Carolina Clash Series holds the rights to the event. Originally the event was held at neighboring track Toccoa Raceway in 2012 and 2013 but in 2014 it moved to Lavonia where it has stayed ever since.[7]
Casey Roberts and Zack Mitchell are tied with the most wins in the race at 3 wins from 2012 to 2014 for Roberts and 3 wins in 2019, 2021, and 2022 for Mitchell respectively. Longhorn Chassis holds the most wins by manufacturer in the race at 4, the only other time another chassis manufacturer to win the race was a Capital in 2012 and 2013, a Barry Wright in 2021, and a Double Nickel in 2023.[8][citation needed]
Results[edit]
| Year | Date | Winner | Make | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Unknown | Casey Roberts | Capital | [9] |
| 2013 | June 8 | Casey Roberts | Capital | [10] |
| 2014 | August 30 | Casey Roberts | Longhorn | [11] |
| 2015 | not held | |||
| 2016 | ||||
| 2017 | ||||
| 2018 | ||||
| 2019 | August 30 | Zack Mitchell | Longhorn | [12] |
| 2020 | October 23 | Brandon Overton | Longhorn | [13] |
| 2021 | July 30 | Zack Mitchell | Barry Wright | [14] |
| 2022 | April 22 | Zack Mitchell | Longhorn | [15] |
| 2023 | April 21 | Benji Hicks | Double Nickel | [16] |
Charlie Mize Memorial[edit]
Since 2012 Lavonia has held an annual race for former promoter Charlie Mize, the race has varied by types of Dirt Late Model as Crate's, Limited's, and Super's have all played host to the race but the Crate's have held it the most at 7 times from 2013 to 2018 and 2022.
The race after a decade has not had a repeat winner yet, Longhorn Chassis has the most wins by manufacturer at 6 out of 10 races, there have only been 3 other manufacturers to win the race that being Barry Wright Race Cars, TNT Race Cars, and Train Chassis.
Results[edit]
| Year | Date | Winner | Make | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | September 13 | David McCoy | Barry Wright | |
| 2014 | July 4 | Hotrod Lamance | Barry Wright | [17] |
| 2015 | August 7 | Dennis Franklin | Longhorn | [18] |
| 2016 | July 1 | David Smith | TNT | [19] |
| 2017 | July 3 | Matthew Nance | Longhorn | [20] |
| 2018 | July 4 | Travis Pennington | Longhorn | [21] |
| 2019 | July 7 | Kenny Collins | Longhorn | |
| 2020 | September 4 | Brandon Overton | Longhorn | [22] |
| 2021 | September 3 | Ben Watkins | Longhorn | [23] |
| 2022 | October 15 | Blake Craft | Train | |
| 2023 | October 14 |
Rusty Jordan Memorial[edit]
In early-2021 Modified Street driver and defending champion Rusty Jordan passed away and ever since the track has run a race in that same class in his honor.[24]
Results[edit]
| Year | Date | Winner | Make | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | May 11 | Dalton Peavy | Chevrolet | [25] |
| 2022 | April 22 | Mitchell Duvall | Chevrolet | [26] |
| 2023 | June 18 | Chad Puckett | Chevrolet | [27] |
Notable drivers[edit]
Many drivers have come and gone through the tracks history and have competed at various high levels of other forms of Motorsport, here is a list of just a few notable names who either got their start at Lavonia or competed regularly at the track.
- Cornbread Haley - Former NASCAR K&N Pro Series East driver and owner from 2010 to 2011.
- Aaron Gailey (1936-2018) - Former NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series driver in 1968
- Jabez Jones (1934-2022) - Former NASCAR Modified Division driver in 1961
- Jeremy Mayfield - Former NASCAR Cup Series driver, owner and winner from 1993 to 2009, competed at Lavonia regularly from 2014 to 2023 in 602 Crate and Limited Late Model competition - his first ever Dirt Late Model win also came at Lavonia at the end of 2018 which was his first ever win in a racecar since his last Cup win in 2005 at Michigan.
- Jack Pennington - NASCAR Winston Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series driver from 1989 to 1990.
- Buck Simmons (1946-2012) - Dirt Super Late Model Legend and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver from 1979 to 1980.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Seating". Lavonia Speedway. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Lavonia Speedway, LLC". OpenCorporates. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Track Info". World of Outlaws. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Hartwell Speedway lease acquired by Lavonia Speedway". AccessWDUN. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Lavonia Speedway in Lavonia, Georgia, USA". dirtFan. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Lots of buzz for WoO's visit to revitalized Lavonia". dirtFan. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Mitchell repeats in Buck Simmons Memorial at Lavonia". DirtOnDirt. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Hicks charges to win $7,500 Simmons Memorial". Dirt on Dirt. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "2nd Annual Buck Simmons Memorial Saturday 6/8/13, Toccoa Speedway $4,100 To Win". 4M Forum. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Roberts leads start to finish at Buck Simmons Memorial". GoUpstate. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Casey Roberts Racing in ULTIMATE Victory Lane at Lavonia Speedway 2013. Casey now has 10 career ULTIMATE Supers wins to his credit which leads all drivers. The win also keeps Casey's streak alive of at least 1 ULTIMATE Series win since it's inception in 2011. This is also Casey's 2nd Georgia State Championship in a row". ZSK Photography photo. Facebook. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "New Car Brings Defending ULTIMATE Champ to Lavonia Win". Speed51 via Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Overton wires Carolina Clash field at Lavonia". Dirt on Dirt. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ↑ "Mitchell wins $5,000 Buck Simmons Memorial". Dirt on Dirt. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Zack Mitchell Tops Buck Simmons Memorial At Lavonia". Raceweek Illustrated. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ↑ "Benji Hicks takes Buck Simmons Memorial win at Lavonia". AccessWDUN. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ↑ "2ND ANNUAL CHARLIE MIZE MEMORIAL INDEPENDENCE DAY BASH". Motorsport America. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Franklin ends FASTRAK drought with Lavonia victory". AccessWDUN. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Smith wins Charlie Mize Memorial at Lavonia Speedway". AccessWDUN. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Nance wins FASTRAK Charlie Mize Memorial at Lavonia". AccessWDUN. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Pennington earns $2,000 in Mize Memorial". Dirt on Dirt. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Brandon Overton Beats World of Outlaws in Home State at Lavonia, Georgia". Dirt Track Digest. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Ben Watkins Is WoO LMS Winner". Speed Sport. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "ANNOUNCEMENT:". Facebook. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ↑ "Collins wins LLM Rusty Jordan Memorial at Lavonia". AccessWDUN. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "5/13/2022 - LAVONIA SPEEDWAY". MyRacePass. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Puckett pockets Rusty Jordan Memorial win at Lavonia". AccessWDUN. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Lavonia Speedway at The Third Turn
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