A History of East Tennessee Auto Racing: The Thrill of the Mountains

by David M. McGee

Overview

East Tennessee isn't typically mentioned among stock car racing's formative hotbeds. But the region from Bristol to Oneida and Chattanooga encapsulates a significant portion of the sport's history. From pioneers like Brownie King and Paul Lewis of Johnson City to former national champions Joe Lee Johnson of Chattanooga and L.D. Ottinger of Newport, East Tennessee has produced many of NASCAR's great drivers. The region is home to one of the world's largest sports stadiums in the Bristol Motor Speedway, but NASCAR also made regular visits to other area tracks. Whether the surface is red clay, asphalt or brushed concrete, East Tennessee still boasts some of the world's fastest, most competitive racing. Join author and racing insider David McGee as he presents a vast array of colorful characters whose passion fueled a sport that has gone from primitive to prime time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626191372
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	02/11/2014
Series:	Sports
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

David M. McGee is the author of Tales of Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway and Bristol Dragway: Images of Sports. He is the senior member of Bristol's public announcing team and track historian. He serves on the Kentucky Motorsports Hall of Fame. McGee is an award-winning journalist with the Bristol Herald.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9

1 Diverse Beginnings 11

2 Tracks Through Time 25

3 Don't Mess with Jim 43

4 Broadway Lights 49

5 Border Bash 53

6 Not Bad for Country Boys 57

7 World's Finest Speedway 63

8 Tennessee's Big Bill 67

9 Chattanooga's Champion 71

10 The Turtle 74

11 Fiercely Independent 78

12 Dirt-Floor Garage 87

13 G Is for Gypsy 93

14 Billy Graham, Richard Nixon and Don Naman 98

15 Tragedy Times Two 102

16 It Was a Good Run 111

17 Kingsport's Golden Era 116

18 Two-Time Champion 122

19 Like Father, Like Son 127

20 Crazy about Racing 132

21 A Snowball's Chance 137

22 Heck of a Racer 142

23 Everybody Loved to Race Here 147

24 Ghosts of Atomic Speedway 153

25 Greatest Show on Dirt 157

26 The People's Choice 163

27 Dirt's Dale Earnhardt 168

28 Short-Track Legends 175

Appedix A NASCAR Statistics for Regional Drivers 187

Appendix B East Tennessee Touring Series Results 197

Bibliography 203

Index 205

About the Author 207