JEFCO  SPEEDWAY   -   JEFFERSON  GA

(Georgia International Speedway / Peach State Speedway / Gresham Motorsports Park)

The speedway opened in July of 1967 as a NASCAR sanctioned facility.  Track owners Hansel Wilson and Quentin Freeman had spent five years planning the track, which was located next to their existing drag strip outside of Jefferson, Georgia.  The track was laid out as a high-banked half mile, with smooth, gradual transitions that transferred into blazing speeds and side-by-side racing. The track opened as “Jefco Speedway”, a name combined of those of the two largest cities in the county, Jefferson and Commerce.  The first event run on the track was a NASCAR Sportsman event called the “Tiger 200” in honor of Commerce’s high school football team, the Tigers.  Oddly enough, that race was won by journeyman driver “Tiger Tom” Pistone. Pistone outlasted legendary NASCAR driver

Curtis Turner. The NASCAR folks really took to the track, with several of the their divisions racing on the Jefferson high banks over the next two years.  In July of 1968, NASCAR’s Grand Touring division, which was made up of Pony Cars, made their first appearance at the speedway.  Pole sitter Tiny Lund dominated the event, winning the 200-lap event in his 1968 Mercury Cougar.  He bested Donnie Allison, “Little Bud” Moore, Harold Dunaway and Frank Sessoms to take home top honors.  NASCAR’s next appearance in Jefferson would be one of the biggest in history, as the half-mile Jefco track hosted the season finale for the NASCAR Cup on Nov. 3, 1968.  David Pearson started on the pole for the Peach State 200, but would surrender the lead almost immediately to second place 

JefCo first Pace Car

starter Bobby Isaac.  Isaac would go on to lead 144 of the event’s 200 laps, but a late race crash would leave him in ninth place at the end.  Cale Yarborough, piloting a Wood Brothers’ Mercury that day, led 51 laps to pick up the victory, followed by Richard Petty in a Plymouth.  Pearson would finish third, with James Hylton and LeeRoy Yarbrough rounding out the top five.  The NASCAR Grand Touring series would return to the speedway on March 16, 1969 for the Bulldog 400, billed as a 400-lap event.  Tiny Lund dominated the event, jumping out front on the first lap from the outside of the front row over pole sitter Pete Hamilton.  Lund went on to take the win ahead of Frank Sessoms, Billy Yuma, Larry Wallace and C.B. Gwyn.  It took just over two and a half hours to complete the race.  NASCAR’s Cup series would return to the high banks in November for it's second race.  David Pearson took the pole again, with Bobby Isaac again on the outside.  Pearson would manage to lead 62 of the race’s 200 laps, but it was clear that Isaac was on a mission.  After dominating the previous year’s event only to lose due to a crash, Isaac led 138 laps to dominate the event.  His performance was slowed once by a caution, when James Hylton crashed on lap 98.  Isaac won the

event over Pearson, with Richard Petty, LeeRoy Yarbrough and Neil “Soapy” Castles rounding out the top five.  As the story goes, Big Bill France was very pleased with the layout and location of Jefco Speedway.  It’s proximity to the northern half of Metro Atlanta, I-85 and the Jackson County Airport just across the street made it a prime location for a race track. With that in mind, France sat down with owners Freeman and Wilson, and proposed that he bring each of his major touring series to the Jefferson half-mile twice a season forever more. In exchange, he wanted a piece of the action in the form of a portion of ownership in the speedway.  Freeman and Wilson had no desire to give away any portion of their track.  They told France, in the strongest possible terms, that there would be no deal.  With that, Big Bill France packed NASCAR’s bags and 

First Xfinity race - 1986

Donny Poole weekly Feature winner

said they would not be returning to Jefferson, Georgia any time soon.  Without the NASCAR sanctioning the track had opened under, the track fought hard to survive over the next few years.  Attempts to run weekly shows just didn’t work.  The track was too fast, and local racers found they would burn their equipment out trying to keep pace. For a period of time in the mid 70’s, the track closed.  A brief resurgence in 1977 under the promotion of Ray Newman was spotty at best, and the track closed again for the entirety of 1978, 1979 and 1980. It reopened in 1981 under the promotion of Mac Simpson and L.C. Smith, with several All Pro series Late Model shows, promoted by Bob Harmon, was the salvation of the track.  In 1982, after a 12-year absence, NASCAR returned to the Jefferson high banks.  The Jefco name, which had served the track since it’s opening in 1967, was abandoned. The track was now known as “Georgia International Speedway.” The track reopened by hosting a NASCAR Grand American Late Model event. Mike Alexander would take the win in an event that would be the first of several Grand American races to be held at the track that year. The influence of both NASCAR and Harmon’s famed All-Pro series was just what the track 

needed to get back on its feet. In June of 1983, Ron Neal took over ownership of the speedway, and  announced it would only run special events for the remainder of the season.  While NASCAR didn’t return to the track that year, their drivers did, with Neil Bonnett winning the 200 lap All-Pro event on August 13.  Several NASCAR drivers would also take part in the first World Crown 300 that November. Dick Trickle won that event, which would go on to become the signature race for the speedway.  NASCAR would make their return to the track in 1985 by sanctioning the World Crown as part of its All American Challenge Late Model series.  Mike Eddy took the victory in the event.  NASCAR would return in a big way to Georgia International in 1986, as the track played host to a Xfinity series event on May 10 of that year.  Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champ Darrell Waltrip started the race from the pole, and would lead 179 of the 

Chase Elliott World Crown 300 winner 2012

Cars tangle going into turn 1

200 laps to grab the win over Dale Jarrett, Jack Ingram, Ronnie Silver and L.D. Ottinger.  It would be the first of two big wins at the Jefferson half-mile for Waltrip that year, as he would bag the World Crown 300 in November as well.  In 1987, Waltrip would find his way to victory lane at Jefferson as well that year, winning the World Crown 300 for the second time.  Over the next few years, NASCAR would continue to be a force at the track in the form of Bob Harmon’s All-Pro Late Model series, now racing under the NASCAR All Pro banner.  Drivers such as Jody Ridley, Jason Keller, Jeff Purvis, Rich Bickle and Billy Bigley, Jr. would all put their Late Models in victory lane between 1988 and 1993.  Late in 1993, the track was sold to a group of investors from Atlanta.  Lawyer Jeff Sliz and Tim Whitehead (owner of Pro Shocks) were among the new owners.  The 

track was headed under leadership of General Manager Rob Joyce.  Under the new ownership, the track would see it’s second name change.  After the 1993 season 1993 season ended, the facility would become known as Peach State Speedway.  With the Hooter’s Pro Cup now becoming a strong force in southern stock car racing, NASCAR found itself losing dates at some of it’s usual venues.  That was the case at Peach State Speedway, as the venerable All Pro series made it’s last appearance at the track on July 3, making it the last NASCAR sanctioned event at the track.  During the late '90 Peach State went to a weekly racing format.  Huge numbers of cars would show up to race on the fast 1/2 mile speed-plant.  The track held weekly races hosting Mini Stocks, Front Wheel Drive Mini Stocks; Sportsman, Pro Trucks, Pro Late Models and Super Late Models.  Also they hosted several races for the Southern All Star Super Late Model series along with various sprint and midget Series... and of course the World Crown 300.  Several years later ownership changed again; and Peach State went to a "special events" format again.  The most recent sale was at the end of 2008.  The Gresham family purchased Peach State Speedway, and gave the facility a much needed facelift.  The front and backstretches were flipped, with new grandstands and a new control tower being built.  Trackside parking

Promoter Vince Whitmire with
World Crown 300 Trophy

reconfigured Peach State / Gresham Motorsport Park

surrounded the track, which boasts a new infield facility and a quarter-mile legends track.  The track itself was not altered in any way, shape or form other than the addition of a fresh coat of asphalt to the 43-year-old facility, now known as “Gresham Motorsports Park.”  When racing resumed; the track saw small fields and few fans attend the races.  Much concern was given to how the track could managed to stay open with so few cars and fans.  As it turns out NASCAR Cup and Xfinity teams loved the track.  The drivers praised the track’s fast layout and the consistency they found in testing on the asphalt, which wasn’t as harsh on the team’s tires as many other tracks they could test at.  It also wasn't a far drive from where most of the teams were located.  A few years later, NASCAR had outlawed practice at tracks NASCAR ran on.  This left tracks like Gresham's a great place for teams to go test.  This was the prime source 

of income for the track.  A few years later NASCAR banned all practice at any tracks; other than race weekends.  This was the final nail in the coffin for the track.  It was closed; but still waiting for someone to try and pick up the pieces to make it function again.  The track (then going by the name Georgia International Speedway) was used in filming some parts of the 1982 movie "Six Pack"; starring Kenny Rogers. Some local Jefferson teens were used as extras in the film.

 

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