Meet Historic Sammy Duke
Just some notes on a crazy Wednesday afternoon, about a Historic Speedway!
"Welcome" TRUE race fans, to another super night of hard driving racing, from “Historic” West Georgia Speedway where racing becomes a major challenge.
Please remember that this is one of the oldest race tracks in Georgia and has its own flavor. I mean if history is anything in this time, well racing at West Georgia Speedway has had its share of racing hard knocks and licks, and the track has seen some crazy and wild things happen.
I personally have seen, fights break out on the track, fights between crews after a race, and one man hit by a car trying to get off the track. It’s all in a Saturday nights work when I start filming some of the best drivers in the south.
I mean when a driver starts at the “Burg” and begins to prove he can run with the others that means a lot. You see the track is not friendly at all, and takes its toil on drivers plus rocks and rolls their cars so much that pieces fall off, and that ends their night of racing.
Drivers that win continually at the Burg are your real drivers. These are men that are family men, men that work hard all week, and when the weekend arrives, they are ready to race, on any track as long as it’s a round 3/8th track.
When you see drivers pulling into a race track like West Georgia Speedway and you can say when you see the number on the trailers just who the driver is “You have become a real race fan”.
Take hobby car driver Jeff Carter, and his signature #3 hobby car, with the #3 on the side of his trailer, he is a hero in his class. He is a family Man and hard worker, from Stockbridge, Georgia. He brings a crew with him every time he comes to the Burg.
Jeff is the type of driver that you learn too like, he is kind off the track but put him on the track and he becomes another monster.
Same goes for drivers like #29 Rusty Johnson, who won the championship at West Georgia Speedway this season beating out Blant Duke in one of the closest hobby car championship races of all time.
Then there is #92 Joe Hillman a driver that really needs no introduction, as Hillman has been racing for years and when he races you know he is on the track. Hillman has always raced hard, and he races every other driver hard and honest. That is why Joe became known as “Super Joe”, he has driven almost every track and when he races you know you are in a battle. A family man, he works hard and when he does race he races hard as ever.
Driving car #01 is Blant Duke, yes he is the grandson of owner and promoter Sammy Duke, and yes he drives like he owns West Georgia Speedway. Maybe it was because he was probably born and raised at a race track and when he could start driving Blant was racing on this track every Saturday nights, this is where he learned and trained and since his grandfather owned the track I am sure during the week he would go down and run his car and make sure he knew every part of the track, more than any other race driver that comes to the Speedway for the first time. Does he have a edge?, you make the call.
When we talk about Enduro cars, all I know is Winford Minnix driver of the #M4 has been track champion for years and years, and guess what in 2009 he also won the track championship beating out, #91 Lee Owensby a driver that is coming up in this new class he is driving in, I mean Owensby drives the “Hell” out of his green car, and when he wins you know it.
A real new comer Steven Parker is making his presence felt when he shows up in his Enduro car with the #55 boldly on the sides of his car. Steven Parker even has formed a racing team with his wife Tina, and the team is called “Team Twisted” Racing. If he continues to drive like he has been he will be moving up in racing and you can and will always remember you can say you read about his rise in the racing world right here first.
Good luck and keep on driving as good as you have been Steven, and continue to take car of your car.
Same goes for Sportsman driver Glenn McWaters who has his crew bring his #G1 car to the race track, and prepare it for the race. Because Glenn comes later, to the track, in his own vehicle. He is the only driver I know that has a pit crew that readies his car and all he has to do is drive, and that is what Glenn McWaters does best, he drives and wins
One thing for sure when he is at the track we all know we will see some outstanding driving, and a great Sportsman race.
Just the opposite is driver of the #99 sportsman car driven by Rucker Orr. When you see his white truck and trailer come into the speedway, if you look closely he has a black and white “Jolly Roger” flag flying on rear of his truck, does this mean he is one of Georgia’s bad boys on Dirt?.
You can take Rucker Orr anyway you want, but since his father was also a star driver in his own right, and I am speaking about Ken Orr, a driver that has won every major dirt race in the south, so why does it surprise you that Rucker Orr has the same genes and the same attitude. He drives to WIN and second place is not part of his vocabulary. Winning is what Rucker Orr does best and if you think you can beat him, please bring your car down to West Georgia Speedway and enter the Sportsman feature and take on Orr and McWaters, if you win, you will be the best.
First you have to win, and that is the hardest part.
One of the few drivers that really gets no respect is Darrell Frick, driver of Sportsman car #28D, Darrell comes to the track and parks next to the fastest driver on the track, that of course is Rucker Orr and he does all the work himself on his race car, what makes him do this, I mean he never wins, he never places and he continues to show up, and drive in a class of cars that seem to have much more than he will ever have. Darrell is special, he is kind, he is a joy to speak with, but what makes him tick?
Sometimes drivers come and you know they are the best and some drives come and know that they don’t really have a chance.
The main thing I have learned from all the filming at West Georgia Speedway that I have done over the years is I have learned that the more a driver races at the Burg, the more they will learn the track, and when they learn where to go low and where to go high, you know what they will win more and more races at the Burg.
Some drivers come one or two times and think they can win, when in reality if a driver does not continue to come and race at this small track, the drivers will never win.
So all I can say is learn the track and race as many races as you can there and guess what you may be looking up and seeing the checkered flag waving over your car.
Please remember that this is one of the oldest race tracks in Georgia and has its own flavor. I mean if history is anything in this time, well racing at West Georgia Speedway has had its share of racing hard knocks and licks, and the track has seen some crazy and wild things happen.
I personally have seen, fights break out on the track, fights between crews after a race, and one man hit by a car trying to get off the track. It’s all in a Saturday nights work when I start filming some of the best drivers in the south.
I mean when a driver starts at the “Burg” and begins to prove he can run with the others that means a lot. You see the track is not friendly at all, and takes its toil on drivers plus rocks and rolls their cars so much that pieces fall off, and that ends their night of racing.
Drivers that win continually at the Burg are your real drivers. These are men that are family men, men that work hard all week, and when the weekend arrives, they are ready to race, on any track as long as it’s a round 3/8th track.
When you see drivers pulling into a race track like West Georgia Speedway and you can say when you see the number on the trailers just who the driver is “You have become a real race fan”.
Take hobby car driver Jeff Carter, and his signature #3 hobby car, with the #3 on the side of his trailer, he is a hero in his class. He is a family Man and hard worker, from Stockbridge, Georgia. He brings a crew with him every time he comes to the Burg.
Jeff is the type of driver that you learn too like, he is kind off the track but put him on the track and he becomes another monster.
Same goes for drivers like #29 Rusty Johnson, who won the championship at West Georgia Speedway this season beating out Blant Duke in one of the closest hobby car championship races of all time.
Then there is #92 Joe Hillman a driver that really needs no introduction, as Hillman has been racing for years and when he races you know he is on the track. Hillman has always raced hard, and he races every other driver hard and honest. That is why Joe became known as “Super Joe”, he has driven almost every track and when he races you know you are in a battle. A family man, he works hard and when he does race he races hard as ever.
Driving car #01 is Blant Duke, yes he is the grandson of owner and promoter Sammy Duke, and yes he drives like he owns West Georgia Speedway. Maybe it was because he was probably born and raised at a race track and when he could start driving Blant was racing on this track every Saturday nights, this is where he learned and trained and since his grandfather owned the track I am sure during the week he would go down and run his car and make sure he knew every part of the track, more than any other race driver that comes to the Speedway for the first time. Does he have a edge?, you make the call.
When we talk about Enduro cars, all I know is Winford Minnix driver of the #M4 has been track champion for years and years, and guess what in 2009 he also won the track championship beating out, #91 Lee Owensby a driver that is coming up in this new class he is driving in, I mean Owensby drives the “Hell” out of his green car, and when he wins you know it.
A real new comer Steven Parker is making his presence felt when he shows up in his Enduro car with the #55 boldly on the sides of his car. Steven Parker even has formed a racing team with his wife Tina, and the team is called “Team Twisted” Racing. If he continues to drive like he has been he will be moving up in racing and you can and will always remember you can say you read about his rise in the racing world right here first.
Good luck and keep on driving as good as you have been Steven, and continue to take car of your car.
Same goes for Sportsman driver Glenn McWaters who has his crew bring his #G1 car to the race track, and prepare it for the race. Because Glenn comes later, to the track, in his own vehicle. He is the only driver I know that has a pit crew that readies his car and all he has to do is drive, and that is what Glenn McWaters does best, he drives and wins
One thing for sure when he is at the track we all know we will see some outstanding driving, and a great Sportsman race.
Just the opposite is driver of the #99 sportsman car driven by Rucker Orr. When you see his white truck and trailer come into the speedway, if you look closely he has a black and white “Jolly Roger” flag flying on rear of his truck, does this mean he is one of Georgia’s bad boys on Dirt?.
You can take Rucker Orr anyway you want, but since his father was also a star driver in his own right, and I am speaking about Ken Orr, a driver that has won every major dirt race in the south, so why does it surprise you that Rucker Orr has the same genes and the same attitude. He drives to WIN and second place is not part of his vocabulary. Winning is what Rucker Orr does best and if you think you can beat him, please bring your car down to West Georgia Speedway and enter the Sportsman feature and take on Orr and McWaters, if you win, you will be the best.
First you have to win, and that is the hardest part.
One of the few drivers that really gets no respect is Darrell Frick, driver of Sportsman car #28D, Darrell comes to the track and parks next to the fastest driver on the track, that of course is Rucker Orr and he does all the work himself on his race car, what makes him do this, I mean he never wins, he never places and he continues to show up, and drive in a class of cars that seem to have much more than he will ever have. Darrell is special, he is kind, he is a joy to speak with, but what makes him tick?
Sometimes drivers come and you know they are the best and some drives come and know that they don’t really have a chance.
The main thing I have learned from all the filming at West Georgia Speedway that I have done over the years is I have learned that the more a driver races at the Burg, the more they will learn the track, and when they learn where to go low and where to go high, you know what they will win more and more races at the Burg.
Some drivers come one or two times and think they can win, when in reality if a driver does not continue to come and race at this small track, the drivers will never win.
So all I can say is learn the track and race as many races as you can there and guess what you may be looking up and seeing the checkered flag waving over your car.
Last thing I have to say is that when you are racing at West Georgia Speedway be prepared for your car to take a beating, because rubbing is racing, and if cars are not rubbing they are not racing! So be prepared for some damage.
Thanks
Tino Patti
A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist
With a WORLD WIDE Racing BLOG Following!
Check out my new blog at:
http://lifeandacrazyworld.com
Thanks
Tino Patti
A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist
With a WORLD WIDE Racing BLOG Following!
Check out my new blog at:
http://lifeandacrazyworld.com
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