and even more proud to be able to honor somebody as special and as important to us as Jimmy Summerour.
Born in 1934 in Atlanta, Georgia, Summerour worked for NASCAR racer Gober Sosebee. He also built dragsters for Jack Black in the late 50’s, and then went drag racing himself, winning numerous races throughout the south.
In 1960, he built race cars for NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) racer Johnny Allen, along with building cars for T.C. Hunt, Charlie Mincey and Bill Taylor.
Summerour holds the distinction of being the last person to flag local racers at the famed Peach Bowl Speedway in Atlanta in 1972.
Summerour is the perfect person to be honored at the Lakewood Speedway Reunion. Along with building multiple cars that won at the famed one mile track located in South Atlanta, Summerour was also a promoter at the track for a period of time, having joined up with fellow Georgia Racing Hall of Fame member T.C. Hunt, Ike Bowen, Ernie Moore and Joe Smith in 1967.
Summerour passed away on June 24 at the age of 77.
Lakewood Speedway is viewed by many historians to be the most historic and important racetrack in Georgia history. Built in 1917 around a former water reservoir for the city of Atlanta, the one-mile dirt oval was the scene of events for stock cars, Indy cars, motorcycles and even speedboats on the infield lake.
Known as “The Indianapolis of the South”, Lakewood was one of the most prestigious stops on several national stock car and open wheel circuits over the years.
Lakewood played host to NASCAR in the 1950s, with hall of fame racers Lee Petty, Tim Flock, Curtis Turner, Junior Johnson, Tiny Lund and others finding victory lane. Indy Cars often made their way to the Atlanta track, with drivers such as Ted Horn, Al Keller, Eddie Sachs and Bill Holland taking top honors.
In holding the Lakewood Reunion, the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame hopes to help keep the memory and history of Lakewood alive. Attendees are asked to bring any personal photos they may have from the speedway to share, and to be scanned into the GRHOF archives.
The cost to attend this year’s Lakewood Reunion is $20 at the door, or $15 if tickets are ordered prior to August 6.
For more information, call (706)216-RACE (7223), or go online to www.georgiaracinghof.com.
About the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame - The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame is owned by Dawsonville History Museum, INC. The Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 2002, and became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2010. The museum, recognized by the state legislature as the official home of the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, recognizes prominent members of Georgia’s racing heritage. The Hall of Fame also plays host to other events saluting the state's racing history, including the annual Lakewood Speedway reunion. The Hall of Fame and Museum are housed in the Dawsonville City Municipal Complex just outside of downtown Dawsonville, Georgia on Hwy. 53. The museum is open Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Sunday 12 a.m. - 4 p.m. Holiday and Summer hours vary. Guests can visit the museum for free — there is no charge for admission. We run on donations. For more information, call (706)216-RACE (7223) or go online to www.georgiaracinghof.com.
For more information on this press release, please contact Brandon Reed at raceinfoga@gmail.com.
