Forum Activity for @johnny-mallonee

Mac's

Current NASCAR

that was a loooooong time ago back before my time.even. but i saw photos of it i bet tim doesnt even remember it

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this is Bob moore from back in the day--you never knew who would be driving this car until you lined up for the feature--then you look over and see that innocent face and this car on nmiddle ga was almost unbeatable -- don tumberlin was mr consistant how about jodie ridley with miss mgr i would smile too my modified we ran on the short tracks around middle ga my two kids with our chevelle in the 70's palmer speedway in warner robins from the 50's my dad and his car from the 50's he ran at palmer speedway,hawkinsville speedway,albany,valdosta,cordele, columbus,augusta,tacooa,banks co,elberton,and many many more. there are many stories about the escapades of the old ga gang and this car.

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this is the most feared group on dirt aroundmiddle gain the 60's --this car was almost unbeatable when driven by charlie burnette

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Here is a photo that was in the Warner Robins Sun paper back in the 60's about the Crazy 8 Speedway on Dunbar Road. This was the first lap of the first race when it opened. Thats my car setting pretty out front. the second is of charlie burnette and stewart seymores famous roho coupe

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A Tale about a "TOMMIE" CLINARD that is

Way back in the good ole days a young buckaroo climbed in a car in PalmBeach Fla to start his trip through the ranks of oval track racing. He was flirting with a southern bell at the tracks about that time and 1958 he got caught in the love trap and thats history of the good kind. What posessed him to come to the red hills of middle Ga to become a cop is beyond me. He already had the prettiest girl around so thats out of the question but wait. Next thing you know he has went and found an old ford and and now he is on the way to stardom in middle ga, must be a fairly good driver because I think he won a race in a Henry J if you can believe that.
Well he started racing and doing a fairly good job of it too. Almost to good because he was noticed by his boss. the caption I read was local cop does good at MGR. Poor ole Tommie had to have a minor name change so his Boss wouldnt recognize him,as if that worked, but he pursued his passion of going round in circles. But I did find him out at Camp Wheeler Drag Strip in the early 60s doing his best to go straight. We started bumping heads there and its been that way since.
Anyway he beat that poor ole 60 ford on more corners than was thought possible. next came along a neat old fairlane he built out behind the barn so to speak. By now tommie had caught the eyes of some folks and a little help started drifting his way. This car was the one I remember Tommie shining in at MGR. Even had a very unique sponsor on it. That local bar in Schlitz Ga done the trick for Tommie. Come out to the track and Tommie will show you where Schlitz Ga is. I even found him one time up at Dixie Speedway when it was asphalt.
You see I dont think Tommie was all that good of a driver when he came to Macon Ga. But I grew up on the roads around Bibb and Houston Counties in Ga and with that Fla,Ga. cop chasing us we taught him how to drive pretty good because he could handle that Ford pretty good. That is until he ventured over to on the dirt track one nite. We let him learn where all the turn walls were that nite. I will say this about Tommie. Tommie was a good fairly clean driver back then and has turned into a great Ambasador for racing. He is now known as one of the Ga Gang. I think he stopped driving somewhere around 1980 but the passion for the sport is still there.
He claims to have given up driving but I can still see the gleam in his eye when he gets around one of Bob Moores cars because they are a thing of beauty. Come out to the track on March 12 and see them. Tommie was also one of the restorers on the Speedy Morlock Special Sprint car that Stewart Seymore and the gang totally rebuilt, it may be there on show also. If you get a chance ask him how he met his wife Marilynn. Her dad was a special person in the early days of racing in fla. I could go on about Tommie for awhile but he wouldnt have any thing to tell but I can say one thing, He is one of my best friends right along with Tim Leeming,Bob Moore,Guy Jenkins,Jeff Gilder and the list just keeps going. So look up Tommie at the track, he is the one smiling all the time, you will be glad you did. ----------------------------------------memories

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Tommie you need to put in script some of those old tales out of MGR---I cant remember a third of them until something jogs my memory on them

Tommie Clinard said:

Jeff. On my page you will find pictures of MGR before and after. Also other pictures thatwere taken at the track. Feel free to use anything that you like. Tommie

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Ok Mr Gilder here is the first proof off Pkls desk,as you can see she cleaned it up rather nicely---now if you need another im sure one can be rendered useful to you.

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take this patty and turn it it into a piece of art as you are sooo good at you are my hero on editing

The Lady in the Peach Orchard

I can remember the day my dad came in and said they building a big half mile track over off hiway 41. Well nothing would have it but one way and over there I flew.
It looked like it was as big as daytona when i first saw it,huddled in between the Pecan Orchards and Peach trees.
I can almost smell it now the first time we pulled in there and raced. It was so,how would you describe it, like it held you in its arms when you ran around it.
The turns were so high banked that i dont think you could run off the top if you tried,but fast it was.
I can remember going over with a friend one race and he was smitten at how his motor was performing that nite,yeah i was driving his car, he said go out and run a lap in 3rd gear, talk about winding one out, but all that got was a bunch of people wanting to protest his car.
Another time we were running the quarter mile track and i was driving a guys coupe from pinehurst ga. that thing was almost as fast as Charlie Burnettes coupe, but we came out of number four turn running bumper to bumper and here came AW Vickers shooting by on the outside and he plastered the outside wall about where the flagstand was,his throttle stuck wide open.
Don Tumberlin was the track master at mgr because he was so consistant,had a dang good car too.
That Still deal I heard of it in talk many a time but didnt put no truth to it until later in life. I now understand why all those neat car trailers were always there from south fla with cars that ran so-so.
under the stands was a room and an area where the drivers hung out after the race to talk and just be sociable. It was kinda like a brotherhood because we sorta looked out for each other, true we argued like sore tailed cats on the track and shook fists at each other on the track but off every one made sure all were well for the trip home. If you broke down some one or three would stop and get you going again.
We had that cop from Macon running out there so at first i didnt know if you could get away with bumping him to pass without retaliation later but he turned out to be A-ok.and now a real personal friend.
Friday Hassler,Bob Burcham,Red Farmer,Bobby and Donnie Allison were regulars along with more names than I can remember.
I also hear through the grapevine that The Miss Middle Ga Raceway from back in the day may just make another appearance at the track,maybe that convertible will come too.
There were a few unknowns who got their start there on MGR. I know I learned a lot real quick running there and after I drifted out I would come back for a refresher course, and it always helped
When Racers Reunion met with the present owner I took a lap or two around the old gal and it was just as I remembered it,the trash on the track didnt bother me none. Even the quarter mile track brought back strong memories.
Bob Moore,Tommie Clinard,Guy Jenkins and myself stood over at the pit entrance close to where the infamous still entrance is talking of past races and old names were popping up in our talks making more precious memories of days gone by. Having the undivided help I had from Bob Brown building my engines to Skip Leonard showing me the finer points on tuning and setup,he was like a brother to me,.are things MGR created but will never be forgotten.
drivers like charlie burnette and friday hassler were the ones i could always go to for advice,thats something you dont get this day. My first Speedway car was built by Stewart Seymore and I cannot leave him out of the picture because when you had a friend like Seymore you had a gold mine for a friend.
Middle Ga Raceway was described by some as the next Bristol because it was so fast, maybe we will still see that happen.
The bleachers are still standing at attention waiting for the return of the crowd and the roar of the race so beware,the ghost of the past may just comeback for a visit.
that pop festival was something in its own. True I liked rock n roll but not in a mess of people like out there at the track during that time. I rode out one time and people were camping in every conceivable place possible, and if you kinda looked hard you could see a whole lot of skin showing. And down at creek the fishing hole turned into the local bath house with regular sorties back and forth.
Seeing the track close really hurt our habit of weekly racing at home.
The nascar races there were the highlite of the track for awhile because names came there you heard about on tv or read about in magazines. you could even walk up to them and talk to them and just be one of them. try that today if you will.
If Mr Brown planned the still when it was built he was good but the story I heard there was a leak in the drainage pipes of the track and a hole slowely washed out under there, and a hunter was messing around down stream of the runoff one day after a rain and the water had a funny odor to it so he backtracked and found it.the rest is history, what i wrote was here say.

this is how i remember growing up around our lady in racing, she was fair, sometimes forgiving, but always ready for you. its hard to end a subject like this because it was a prt of my life back then and now too, its my --------------------memories

Title Sponsorship Position Filled for Middle Georgia RacersReunion

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Great things are happening in Middle Georgia again. Now we have another plus going for Racers Reunion and The Ga Gang. Without a combined effort this would have been a no go as seen in the past. Now its full steam ahead. Im proud to be associated with a positive group such as RACERS REUNION.

And a special thanks to Jeff Smith Chevrolet Co. for making this happen.

Gary Lewallen's Trailer Stolen

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seems to be a rash of this stuff going on. My car trailer was stolen Mon nite long with the contents on it. I probably will never see it again. here is a photo of it setting beside bldg It was parked beside the door at the shop loaded