This week, we look at one town that has produced a lot Daytona racing history over at Georgia Racing History.com .

One town in North Georgia can boast a racing record that is very impressive. This one little town, situated about an hour north of Atlanta, has produced five Daytona champions - four on the beach, one on the super speedway) since 1940. Drivers and car owners from this area so dominated the beach that in the 1940s, 12 of the 15 races were won by drivers or car owners from this small town. And one of this town's favorite sons would twice win the biggest race of the NASCAR season, the Daytona 500, and set the speedway's all-time stock car speed record.

The town? It's Dawsonville, Georgia, home of the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. You can read more about it this week over at Georgia Racing History.com .

SpeedWeeks 2012 continues this week at Daytona, where there are lots of Georgia drivers to keep an eye on! Griffin, Georgia's Max Gresham is slated to race in tonight's Camping World Truck Series event. David Ragan of Unadilla, GA will be competing in Sunday's Daytona 500. Not to mention all the short track action in the Sunshine State, with Georgia Gang members slated to compete at New Smyrna, Volusia and East Bay, just to name a few. You can keep track of all the results and news by checking in at our sister site, Raceweek Illustrated throughout the weekend.

In other news, the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, GA, is inviting race fans to come enjoy the Daytona 500 with them this weekend. On Sunday, Feb. 26, the GRHOF will have Sundays running of the Daytona 500 on the big screen for fans and friends at the Hall of Fame. An invite to the 500 watching party is included with the purchase of any ticket to tour the Hall on that day.

Fans can also see a special display featuring two Georgia Daytona winners. The display will include the 1987 Daytona 500 winning car of Bill Elliott, which is also the car that set the all-time stock car speed record at Daytona, with lap in excess of 210 mph. Also on display will be Gober Sosebees Daytona Beach winning car, which is one of the only winning cars on the beach to still survive in race trim today (right down to the original tires the car traveled down the beach on). Sosebees Ford set the all time NASCAR speed record on the beach in 1949, serving as the perfect car to view with Elliotts record setting Ford. To top it all off, the display will also include several of the trophies won at Daytona over the years that are currently housed at the Hall of Fame, including both of Elliotts Daytona 500 winning trophies and Sosebees 1950 winning trophy from the beach.

There will also be a concession stand open to take care of your hunger and thirst needs as you watch the drivers duke it out on the Daytona high banks. Its a chance to see racing history, and to watch racing history being made at the same time.

The GRHOF Daytona watching party kicks off when the doors open at 10 am Sunday morning at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, located inside the Dawsonville Municipal Complex in Dawsonville, Georgia. Ticket prices are Adults $4, Seniors $3, and Child (7-13) $2. Children 6-under are free. For more information or for directions to the Hall of Fame, call the Hall of Fame at (706) 216-RACE (7223) or go online to www.georgiaracinghof.com .

Plans are underway for the third annual Athens Speedway Reunion, to be held April 14, 2012 at South Jackson Elementary School near Jefferson, GA from 10 am - 4 pm. For more info, contact Freddie Massey at 706-543-4249, Donald Brooks at 706-658-7006 or Charles Burkhalter, Jr. at 706-207-0516.

Happy Birthday wishes go out this week on Feb. 24 to Harry Gailey, on Feb. 25 in memory of Davey Allison (1961-1993), and on Feb. 28 to Mario Andretti.

Thanks everybody, and have a great weekend!

Brandon Reed
Georgia Racing History.com