Can anybody help me find this piece of Lakewood Speedway's history?

Hi folks, Eddie Samples and I were talking today, and I hit upon the idea that somebody here might be able to help us with out dilemma.The final race at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta was held on Labor Day of 1979. Eddie was friends with the promoter, and so he had a front row seat. Even better, his dad, legendary driver Ed Samples, drove the pace car. What a grand send off for the old track.Well, for posterity, the entire event was taped. Eddie said the tape had EVERYTHING - the pre-race ceremonies, the skiers on the lake, the people in teh stands, legendary flagman Weyman Miliam directing race cars from the back of the pace car as Ed Samples drove, the race, post race interviews with many of the drivers.Eddie had a VHS copy of the race. He was asked by a well known motorsports journalist to borrow it for research on a story for the event. Eddie was kind enough to loan it to him.....and it never was seen again.Eddie said there were many, many copies of this VHS, they were sold to people. He was just one of many that bought a copy. Yet, we can't seem to come up with one person who has it.So, that brings me to my point. Does anybody here have a copy of that race, know somebody that has a copy, or have any suggestions of how to get a copy?Coming here was my brainstorm - I figure I have to be helpful in some way!Anybody who doesn't want to post can feel free to email me at raceinfoga@gmail.com.Thanks!!!-Brandon Reed
updated by @brandon-reed: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Brandon, you might also want to add this request over at TNF under the Lakewood thread.Some of those gentlemen have extensive collections or might know where to send you.Keep up the GREAT work at the Georgia Racing website.Good Luck!

Hey Brandon, Would that journalist happen to be Rick Minter? He writes for an Atlanta paper. If not, he is a very knowledgeable Lakewood history buff and maybe could help you. I will see him in Charlotte during race week and can mention this to him if you like. - N.B. Arnold

N.B.,I'd just as soon not say who it was. This wasn't meant to embarrass or call anybody out. The tape was probably just mislaid or loaned to another writer, and it's disappeared. The point is that we're hoping against hope that there's another copy out there that somebody might have, and will be willing to share with us so we can add this to our growing archive of Lakewood Speedway footage.Incidentally, we also have footage from the infamous 1946 AAA Indy Car event, stock car and Indy car footage from the 50s, footage of Ed Otto's "Great Experiment" NASCAR sports car event, NASCAR Grand National footage, NASCAR Late Model footage from 1967, and footage of the Hell Drivers Stunt Show on the front stretch.One of the most exciting clips is also one of the shortest. It's shot from outside turns one and two, on Lakewood Avenue, in 1947, featuring the late Swayne Pritchett fighting for first with another driver. The car control these two show is AMAZING. And yes, all the things we've heard about Pritchett's talents, which were lost along with his life in 1948, were true!!!!But even with all that, we've only got about 30 minutes of total footage. 30 minutes from a track that existed for 62 years. Unreal. So if anybody has any additional footage, please contact me.But back to the matter at hand. We very, very much want to find a copy of that 1979 race. It was the last race ever at the grand old track, and it's a chunk of the history that we can never have back. Please feel free to email me at raceinfoga@gmail.com if you can help, or if you have any suggestions.

Brandon you may want to contact the daughter of Bill Gazaway. Her name is Elisha Gazaway Rainwater in Newnan Ga. Her father was very into the Lakewood Speedway he may have had a copy. Its worth a phone call. However she does work some long hours but she is very prompt about returning a phone call.

Mike,Would you mind terribly emailing me her contact info to raceinfoga@gmail.com?Thanks so much!!!!