Jimmy Summerour steers the car of Johnny Allen to the starting grid for the 1961 Daytona 500. Summerour will be honored at the fourth annual Lakewood Speedway Reunion on Aug. 6.
There have been many special moments over the years at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, Georgia.
But when the Hall plays host to the fourth annual Lakewood Speedway Reunion on August 6, 2011, it will be one of the most special.
That’s because event organizers have decided that this year’s reunion will be in honor of one of the Hall of Fame’s founding fathers, 2006 GRHOF inductee Jimmy Summerour.
“Jimmy was one of the people who helped get this place started,” said GRHOF Board of Directors chairman Gordon Pirkle. “Not only was he a legend in Georgia racing and a Hall of Fame member, but he never failed to support us when we needed him. Even when he was sick, he never missed an event or failed to come out and support the Hall of Fame.
“The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame is proud to be able to host the Lakewood Speedway Reunion, 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.
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Summerour passed away on June 24 at the age of 77.
Lakewood Speedway, seen here in the early 1950s, was one of the most important and popular race tracks in the southeast.
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 or go online to www.georgiaracinghof.com
