Post by roadhawg on Mar 4, 2009 19:20:13 GMT -5
I grew up going to dirt tracks. My dad ran a service station/garage, and racing was just something I thought everyone did. One of the tracks we would go was the old Hall County Speedway, located in Braselton GA, not too far from where Road Atlanta and Lanier Raceway are located today.
Hall County Speedway closed forever back in the early 70s, but I still remember the old jalopys banging fenders and smoking going into turn one. Several years ago, I decided to build a model of the jalopy type racers I grew up watching.
This model was actually easier to build than I thought it would be. I started with the Monogram 39 Chevy street rod, cut away the running boards, used matches to dent it up, a dremel for the scrapes and gouges, and brown thread for the "rope" holding the doors and truck shut. The engine is the six from a Monogram 54(?) Chevy kit. They weren't that interested in safety back then, so this poor guy has replaced his lost gas cap with an old grease rag (a bit of tissue painted red). The rust and weathering was done with a Rustall kit, and the dirt......Ahhh, the dirt....As the late Paul Harvey would've said, "Here's the rest of the story".....
Back in the late 90s, I went back and toured the site of the old Hall County Speedway. Although it was grown over, you could still make out the banking of the old quarter mile track. The grandstands were nothing more than a few old rotten planks, but the pit area concession stand was still there. I even found an old 55 Chevy fender that had "Mr. 327" lettered on it. I took pictures, and if I find them I might post them sometime, but before I left, I dug up a cupful of dirt....right where turn one started. The dirt used on the model is actual dirt from the old Hall County Speedway.
Sorry I got longwinded!!! Heres the model. Hope Y'all like it....
Oh, by the way. The site where the track stood is today a fancy subdivision development. Progress.....don'cha just love it?
Hall County Speedway closed forever back in the early 70s, but I still remember the old jalopys banging fenders and smoking going into turn one. Several years ago, I decided to build a model of the jalopy type racers I grew up watching.
This model was actually easier to build than I thought it would be. I started with the Monogram 39 Chevy street rod, cut away the running boards, used matches to dent it up, a dremel for the scrapes and gouges, and brown thread for the "rope" holding the doors and truck shut. The engine is the six from a Monogram 54(?) Chevy kit. They weren't that interested in safety back then, so this poor guy has replaced his lost gas cap with an old grease rag (a bit of tissue painted red). The rust and weathering was done with a Rustall kit, and the dirt......Ahhh, the dirt....As the late Paul Harvey would've said, "Here's the rest of the story".....
Back in the late 90s, I went back and toured the site of the old Hall County Speedway. Although it was grown over, you could still make out the banking of the old quarter mile track. The grandstands were nothing more than a few old rotten planks, but the pit area concession stand was still there. I even found an old 55 Chevy fender that had "Mr. 327" lettered on it. I took pictures, and if I find them I might post them sometime, but before I left, I dug up a cupful of dirt....right where turn one started. The dirt used on the model is actual dirt from the old Hall County Speedway.
Sorry I got longwinded!!! Heres the model. Hope Y'all like it....
Oh, by the way. The site where the track stood is today a fancy subdivision development. Progress.....don'cha just love it?
