WEDNESDAY, OLD HUMP DAY!

"DO YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN DRIVE AND WIN, YOU CAN!,
"JUST BELIEVE"

West Georgia Speedway is almost like running at Daytona Speedway, it is tough and the drivers of these cars have to have their heads screwed on tight.

Driver, in every feature, are there to win at the track I call to hard to tame. It is a historic 3/8th of a mile clay oval track, that is worn and beaten down by age.


The fans that come to the track, know who is driving and who is not, they know DIRT, and they are real racing fans. People that are not afraid of the SUN in the HOTGEORGIA weather, nor the COLD in the later months when racing is coming to a close. You can meet the best of the best at West Georgia Speedway on any given Saturday Night. These are not your fans that are spoiled, they sit on cement grandstands, some sit in the back of their pick up trucks, under umbrella's to cool them.


They do not sit in comfortable air conditioned suites with catered foods, NO this is NOT Daytona, nor Talladaga. This is one of the best historic dirt tracks in the South, West Georgia Speedway, located in Whitesburg, Georgia.
Driver's who race here are tough and ready for the nights challenges of racing on a track to hard to tame, "THE BURG" as it is known.

The track can beat a driver up in all ways, it can tear parts of cars apart, it shows no mercy, it is a challenge and only the brave survive. Winning at the Burg, is the best thing you can do, because it shows that you and your car, have passed the major test.

Drivers, build cars that are strong, cars that have endurance, cars that can take the punishment the Speedway deals them. These old guard rails, have met many cars head on, and have brushed them off, like they were twigs.

Fans, have seen cars roll over, fly high like the case of "High Flying" Michael Mills, and cars hit the guard rails like hobby car driver, Joe Hillman, and last Saturday you can see on the DVD , Jeff Carter's #3 being lifted off the ground. His car literally is seen going straight up, and then down again.

In the case of Michael Mills, his Sportsman car, was seen flying sideways through the viewfinder of the camera, I mean he was sailing. This was dramatic, but in all the action from rolls to spins to flight every driver walked away safe and unhurt. That is what I want to see, "I never want to see any driver hurt in any way", racing is a sport, that is dangerous and if you are not willing to take the chance, then you need to give up this sport.

In in the film "Days of Thunder" it shows a car builder shaping a race car, making sure it is getting every edge it can have, and that is what you need at "The Burg". You need every advantage you can get, because these other drivers you are racing have something you don't. The name on the car can be changed from "Cole Trickle", to Rucker Orr, or Lee Owensby, or Jeff Carter, to Steven Parker, maybe even Winford Minnix, how about Mark Knight, or Rusty Johnson, Blant Duke, Richard Bagby, Frank Long, names can be changed on any car, just like movie. But the driving styles will never change!!! Fast and furious, these are the real Days of Thunder drivers, and they race at West Georgia Speedway.

These are the real true to life drivers, in racing, the big names, the men fans come to see and watch every Saturday night, at the Burg. Drivers, who know their way around this historic track and are not afraid of taking a beating. They are also NOT afraid of this Historic track, winning at the Burg is one step ahead of your game plan.

Have you heard them say "It is Legal", well how legal?, and are you willing to put up hard cash to tear someones car down, to capture a easy win?, Do you feel lucky?.

On July 4th, the Sportsman cars were racing for $1000 cash money, green and spendable, and you guessed it, after their feature it was TEAR DOWN TIME, and of the 2 cars that finished up front both were disqualified, and the 3rd place car was given the WIN, so #99 Rucker Orr walked away with a trophy and some green cash, when car #73 of Jason Williams was disqualified, and also #13 of Roger Cassell, I was so amazed because I would have never believed that both those cars were illegal.

But that is what happens in racing, you never know who will win on any given Saturday night. That is why they call it RACING.

Lets go back to some of the great races at the Burg, can you remember, when #29 of Rusty Johnson, beat out #01 of Blant Duke in one thrilling hobby car championship race.
What about when Joe Hillman in his #92 just edged out #K17 of Mark Knight, and what about the night when #3 Jeff Carter won, can you remember back that far?.

Modified Mini races, have seen their share of action, with some really intense battles between, #6 Richard Bagby and his rival #07 legend Frank Long. These two drivers are intense on a race track and their style of racing shows it, they are not content with 2nd place, they are out for the win.

Same goes for the Sportsman cars, who give it all they have, and then some.
I have filmed some of the strangest races, like the "FOG BOWL" race at West Georgia Speedway, which had to be the craziest race. It was a warm night, and when the feature of the Sportsman cars started the FOG DROPPED ON THE TRACK where you could not even see the cars rounding the back straight, all I could see is cars heading into turn one and coming out of turn 4, it was amazing, and something that I don't believe I will ever see again. The young talented driver Ryan Law, from Piedmont Alabama ,would take the WIN, and I guess that was because he was out front, every other driver, either stopped and caused a yellow, or plain pulled off the track. No need in tearing a car up, that was their thinking. I was joking later when I said you know "those drivers from Alabama, can drive in the fog", because Ryan Law put on a show.

Rucker Orr has always put on a show when he is racing, more so when he is battling #G1 of Glenn McWaters and his other rival #26 Fletcher Cavender, both of these cars mean trouble to Orr, who pulls into a race track with a "Jolly Roger Flag" flying in the wind behind his race trailer. Orr is very likable and knows his car, he is not afraid of any other driver. He takes his races one at a time and most of the time he is the winner.

Then there are some nights, his car is off, or he is being beaten by a faster car, such as Glenn McWater's. McWater's is a driver who if you met him on the street you would say who is this shrimp, he is small but he has brains and a racing gift of talent that he displays almost every Saturday Night at West Georgia Speedway, the first year I was filming at the Burg, he won 6 straight races in a row, I don't believe Rucker Orr was there then, but who knows Iam getting as old as Sammy Duke the Owner of West Georgia Speedway, so forgive my memory.

The Enduro races have really been picking up, and drivers like Lee Owensby in his green #91 has been a real blessing to the sport, he is young and has a fire for winning. I know everyone like long time Champion and still the 2009 Enduro Champion Winford Minnix, who owned West Georgia Speedway for years, he is one of a kind and I call him "Charge Card" because he never buys a DVD from me, although he did by the Championship DVD of his Enduro race. Winford has been a fan favorite, and you know he is so likable , his smile and laughter is something I would never trade, I have written about him, calling his purple car a "Purple People Eater", are I have joked with him regarding when he was going to get his CD player working in his car, not to mention his air-conditioning unit working, I am always joking with him, and that's the way I like it.
Champion drivers are MADE, they are not fake, they are talented and you can spot a driver that is headed upward in a minute.
Take rookie Steven Parker, who has a team formed already with his wife Tina Parker called "Team Twisted Racing".









When a wife stands beside her husband in racing, you have a team, look at Modified Mini driver, Richard Bagby who has raced Sportsman cars, to Super Late models, and now he is racing in the roots of racing, the modified mini car features. His wife has always stood next to him and backed him in every way, that is what you call a racing team.
Steven Parker, and Tina are just some special people that I believe and when I believe something it sticks, that they are going to go far in racing.
So keep a watch out for car #55 and a new young talent, Steven Parker, now driving in the Enduro features at West Georgia Speedway on Saturday Night.

The Hobby class has it's lady queen, and she is Lisa Carter who goes to bat for her husband Jeff Carter, who needs no help at all, because Carter is a BIG MAN and takes care of his family, working hard all week and racing hard every Saturday night. Where Jeff is racing, you will find his wife Lisa, and she is always ready to serve. She has been a blessing to me, because there have been so many hot day's down at the track where I was ready to pass out and she would always have some water, or coke, to help me make it through the long night of racing, one time she stopped at Krystal's and brought a huge bag of them and let me partake of the feast. This is why she is known as the "queen of racing". Can you imagine, when Lisa Carter pulled up in her truck, at the local Krystals, and ordered 100 to go!, Did the cooks quit, who knows but all I know was that she had bags of them at the track, and everyone of the Carters were enjoying them including those she gave me, it was truely a feast.

Jeff and myself were talking a while back, and it was when my wife Edna was in bad condition and in the hospital, that we got to laughing and joking about a phrase that is well known, and is so true. "If Momma ain't Happy, NOBODY'S HAPPY"

Well all I can say is the weather will be warm this weekend and The Modified Mini cars will be racing in their Championship race, and some one is going to walk away with some serious cash and a trophy. So fan's be there and bring your friends, as many as you can, and lets fill up West Georgia Speedway, and thank Sammy Duke next time you see him, or Brian Duke in this case thank all of the officials, because this is a very stressful line of work, and some driver's can really blow up and say things later they will regret.
All I can say is THANK ALL OF YOU for being so patient with me, as I am doing my best with a BLOG and shooting the video at the race track, making sure that every driver is happy. I never want to meet a driver and not have anything good to say, if I can't say something positive, I will keep my mouth shut.

One last thing, I have been filming for years at different tracks, I have seen almost every down home driver, I can tell when a driver, knows his stuff or he is faking his way around. I know and have met the drivers that are now racing in Nascar, I have seen the way they act and conduct themselves on and off the track.

Remember I started filming at a old historic track in Douglasville, Georgia, yes it is now gone and demolished, it was Seven Flags Speedway, I started filming in the HOT and COLD weather from outside the tower, I was in every kind of weather, burning up to freezing, but I stayed and learned my craft and along the way made some great racing friends for life, like Lamar Haygood, Richard Bagby, Roscoe Collins, Joe Hillman, Mike Head, all of the Pages, also there was Derrick Rainey, and so many more. I never realized that these would go on to be my friends, and I would enjoy filming there every race. Some of the Sportsman battles were exciting, with a young and talented Shane Clanton, against Richard Bagby, that was a Saturday night show in itself, as Clanton in his signature #25 would be on the pole against his rival #19 Richard Bagby, now these were some battles and shows.
Late model cars were different animals, and #17 Lamar Haygood was a beast on the track, I would later become a close friend of him, and filmed his last 5 races at Seven Flags Speedway before it closed in May. He won every Saturday Nights race the month of May, what a thrill.

Later I moved on for ONE season at a HOT ASPHALT track in Senoia Georgia, it was my first experence filming cars on Asphalt, and like the sawing goes and I learned it fast was ,when your or going to racing make sure your headed to a Dirt track, because Asphalt is for getting you there, the real drivers are those that run on DIRT. The only major part I liked about Senoia Speedway was when the sun was setting at the heat would disappear. I did meet some great drivers that included "Hurricane" Mike Hillman, Joe Hillman's brother. I also got my first look at bandeleros and Legend cars, and what they called Late Model cars, I did film Rusty Clanton, who was driving Late Model there. Seen some great action, but it is nothing like the action you see at your local dirt track. So when you get a chance head to the nearest track and enjoy some down right exciting racing action, from Modified Mini's to Sportsman, you will never be dissappointed.

My last year of filming was at 7 Flags Speedway before the doors were closed and the track torn down, I still have some of those great races on video tape.
After that I was free as a bird, but I missed my friends, that is when someone told me of a track located in Whitesburg, Georgia. The track I heard was small and not in the best shape and was being run by Sammy Duke.
So I made a few calls and talked with Sammy and he said he could use me, and the rest is history, one thing for sure is this Old gentelman is a character and is special, since I began filming at West Georgia Speedway he has and the drivers have become very special to me, and I will always be thankful for every fan, every driver and all the officials at West Georgia Speedway, by the way Sammy has made some major improvement and you can see them when you come down to watch a real race, on a real historic race track, where racing is racing, and rubbing is racing and the fastest car's WIN.
See ya at the track SATURDAY!!!!!!.


Many Thanks again,


Tino Patti




A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist


With a WORLD WIDE BLOG FOLLOWING !!!!!



(my photo gallery can be accessed by going to:)

http://plusphotography.smugmug.com

West Geprgia Speedway results 7-11-09

Historic Sammy Duke. welcomes all fans and Drivers to West Georgia Speedway

"LONG NIGHT, AND I MEAN LONG NIGHT"

2 CHAMPIONSHIP RACES IN 1 NIGHT, I MEAN COME ON, I could see having maybe Enduro, and Full size but not a 30 lap Pure Mini race plus a 30 lap Street Stock or Full size Championship race all in ONE night.

Do you realize that the Pure Minis had to qualify and can you imagine the time it took for these cars, plus after Pure Mini were the Street stock having to qualify, TIME WAS TICKING AWAY in this long Georgia Night. Then the Crate cars had to qualify plus then the Sportsman cars had to qualify, and I mean this was a LONG NIGHT, for everyone involved.

The racing order was changed for this night ONLY as Modified mini raced first like they always do, so did the Enduro class,but then the changes and here they are, Pure Mini ran their championship race of 30 laps, then the Hobby cars ran their race, and back to another change the Street Stock ran there Championship 30 lap race. After all this racing and Qualifying, I was tired and hungry so at the break I headed down to West Georgia Speedways concession stand for some fries and cheese, anything to fill my empty gut.

After the break, it was back to racing, with a regular fast Crate Car race, and then the super fast Sportsman cars for their feature.

#32 TroyDixon would blast ahead of #14 Pete Cockram, and that would be all the crate race would need, as #16 Josh Noles would finish 3rd out of a 4 car race, which saw #89 Carey Smith, drop out do to mechanical problems.











So you can say I put in a full nights work of racing action filming every class something I never do, because after the Sportsman run , I am out of there because no pure mini or Street Stock has ever purchased a DVD from me, but tonight was different I had to be there for every race.



Let me break this to you easy, in the Modified Mini race Frank Long was not able to pass #16 who would go on to win the race, with Long taking 2nd place. More details later.



The Enduro race was a "Mystery" and I don't ever want to say anything regarding the track, but their were complaints regarding the scales, I don't have anything to say regarding the scales, I don't have time to worry about them when I am worrying about the drivers of each race. Complaints see Sammy Duke or some other track official, I have nothing to do with the calls at the track, so please I am not getting involved.

TALENT CAN ALWAYS BE SEEN IN A DRIVER'S EYE'S, SOME MEN ARE JUST THERE AT THE TRACK TO RACE, AND SOME ARE THERE BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THEY BELONG, IN A SPORT THAT IS DEMANDING. THEY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES AND OTHERS ARE JUST ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

I HAVE SEEN MANY DRIVERS, SOME THAT ARE STILL RACING SHORT TRACKS, AND SOME THAT HAVE MADE IT TO NASCAR, AND THE BUSCH SERIES RACES, THEY HAD A LOOK IN THEIR EYE, OF WANTING MORE THAN A SMALL SATURDAY NIGHTS RIDE.

THEY ALSO HAD A WIFE AND FAMILY THAT WERE WILLING TO FLOW WITH THE DRIVER IN HIS UP'S AND DOWNS.

WHEN A DRIVER LOOKS AT ME, AS DOES STEVEN WITH THE FIRE IN HIS EYE'S AND I HEAR HIS PASSION FOR RACING, ALL I CAN SAY IS WATCH HIM AS GOOD THINGS COME TO GOOD DRIVERS.

Steven Parker is this kind of driver, he knows when to go and knows how to not get his Enduro car, beat up, he is there at the end of the race and that is what counts. Watch, Tony Stweart, or Jeff Gordon, not to mention Kevin Harvick, I mean they are always at the end of a race, they may not win, but they do catch some of the cash, and that always helps any driver.

Winning the race was "Charge Card" Winford Minnix, in his M4 car, he was being chased by #55 Steven Parker who is a man on the move in the racing world, so keep your eye on this young and talented driver. Steven and his Wife Tina have formed the racing company of " Team Twisted Racing ".

His Name means "SPEED"

Steven Parker's wife, watches with all the major hopes in the world for her racing Husbands, safety and hoping he could pull off a win, something that he is in need of, Steven and Tina Parker, the new kids on the block and a force that will be have to be dealt with.



A winning team, Steven and Tina Parker!

Also in the chase was #91 of Lee Owensby, who was on the bumper of Parker, but Parker was showing his style of "cool handed driving ability". One thing for sure, Owensby is never satisfied with 3rd place, he is racing for the win.

Now the results were to become a Mystery, I mean ok Winford Minnix went on to win the race, but both Steven Parker and Lee Owensby were disqualified because of being to light, or to heavy, it was crazy. My question does anyone think the scales need to be checked?, just a question.

The Championship Pure Mini was one of a kind, and there was some hard fought battles, one driver that took us all by surprise was that of Hobby star driver Jeff Carters, own son, Robbie Carter in the #3c, he has the same make up in his style of driving as his father. The race looked good, as Carter started on the pole, which is hard to do, I mean you have to be good to be there. But this race also featured drivers such as #19 Scott Conner, and many more well qualified drivers, I mean when you are racing in a championship race you will have a major amount of drivers show up. You had hard charging drivers like the Brights, who race every Saturday night at West Georgia Speedway plus drivers like 17C known as Camo man, Danny Smith, then there was the old favorites #88 Rocky Johnson. All kinds of drivers were eager to make some extra cash, and tonight was the championship of those Pure Mini cars.

Winning the Pure Mini Championship for 2009 season is "Scott Conner" who drove car #19.

Robbie Carter, is really learning, I mean he has a Father that is well known among Hobby car drivers, and I am speaking about Jeff Carter, and his Mother finished 2nd in the July 4th , famous Powder Puff race at the Burg!.

The Final results of the 2009 Pure Mini Championship race were:

Winning and becoming the NEW WEST GEORGIA SPEEDWAY CHAMPION IN THE HARD FOUGHT PURE MITNI RACE WAS "SCOTT CONNER".

2nd place was #38 Randy Blair

and in 3rd place finished #77 Brandon Bright.

The Hobby car race was one heck of a bang, bang feature, as driver's that were the best entered the race, we had Jeff Carter, Mark Knight, Blant Duke, Lee Mcewayne and Joe Hillman. I mean the stage was set for some of the best hobby car racing in the south. But on the first lap, car #18 got into Carter and raised him up, also involved was Joe Hillman, and with the damage on Joe's car I thought there was no way he could finish the race, but like a real hobby car star he managed to bring his twisted, bent and beaten car around and at least finish the race.

The car that caused the wreck was car #16 who he is I have no idea, but I am sure the hobby driver's know him well.

Mark Knight some how got through the mass of metal, and his car was working for him, it looked like the battle was going to be between Duke and Knight, but hard driving Blant Duke took turn 4 wrong and spun out, so the real battle was between Mark Knight and Lee Mcewayne, and Carter was running hard in 3rd place. Mark was driving Jason Causey's #47 with Duke along side when the green dropped, that is when all hell broke loose on the back stretch. The hobby cars made their way around this old 3/8th dirt track that never takes no prisoners, and when the wreck happened , Mark Knight and Blant Duke were in the lead, so the were not effected when car #18 got into Jeff Carter and lifted his car up, and Joe Hillman was along for the ride, nothing he could do but hang on tight. To be honest the back of Joe Hillmans car looked like a bent in coke can, but like a true driver he was not pulling off the track, neither was hard charging Jeff Carter. West Georgia Speedway is known for bring out the best hobby car driver's in the South. You can thank Sammy Duke for this, he has always wanted to put on a show for the fans, and he will if he can.

As the hobby cars settled down fighting the dust, Blant Duke was pulling ahead, and the real battle was behind him with Mark Knight putting on a classic driving lesson as he battled Lee Mcelwayne. Then Duke spun, and that moved him back, and that is when Mark Knight was showing the driving style we all know and like. One thing for sure Jeff Carter and Joe Hillman were side by side, as true driver's should be.

The Hobby car results were:

#47 Mark Knight winning

#56 Lee Mcelwayne

#3 Jeff Carter

Congratulation's "Mark on a ride well done

In the Full Size Championship race we had cars all over the place, and the battle was intense, One car that stood out and his a winner almost every Saturday night in this class is #16 of Kevin Horton, in his famous "Black Beauty".

Michael Nelms in his famous Purple #7 was also racing and he chased Horton around and around. Also in the race was car #65 in red, and that was always talking, Charlie Brown. If he could drive as good as he talks he would win every race in the State of Georgia.

The results of this 30 lap race were:

#16 Kevin Horton

#7 Michael Nelms

# 7 Lee Durrough

Congratulation's to the 2009 Full Size Champion "Kevin Horton"

After this LONG event, everyone was hungry and that included myself, so I raced down and grabbed some great fries with cheese, and made my way back to the booth to enjoy this meal. After all this had been a LONG NIGHT.

NOW lets get back to racing, with a 4 car Crate car field this was going to be fast, I mean, we had #32 Troy Dixon #14 Pete Cochran, #7 Josh Noles. and #89 of young Carey Smith, who would not finish the race because of mechanical trouble I guess.

Dixon, held off Cochran, as Noles was riding Cochran's bumper. For some reason Dixon can win in any car he drives, and tonight again was his night.

After the Crate car ran, we had the most important race of the night and that was the Sportsman Feature, this race pitted #99 Rucker Orr up against his rival #26 Fletcher Cavender, with young Scott Duffey in his famous #25 in the same race, also racing was #7 of Steve Nichelson. Car #73 of Jason Williams was back, he was disqualified in the Sportsman Championship race as was #13 Roger Cassell, one week ago.

That took the win away from Williams and also away from Cassell and Rucker Orr after tearing his car down was pronounced the real winner and 2009 Champion #99 Rucker Orr.

Prior to the race, I was told by a special person, that he wanted Rucker not only to win but lap the field, and if they tore him down, come on let them.

All I can say was when the green dropped, Orr was on a mission, and his car was working every where on this old track, I mean he had the car dialed in, and was on a mission, what can you say when you have the best car on the track.

Here is a photo of Rucker Orr sitting prior to any racing action and talking with Enduro driver Lee Owensby.

I don't have any idea who the pretty peach is sitting beside of Rucker.

By the way they did tear Rucker down, and guess what "HE WAS LEGAL"

The Sportsman feature results were:

#99 Rucker Orr

#26 Fletcher Cavender

#7 Steve Nicholson

I hope you can make it to West Georgia Speedway next Saturday Night, as the last Championship race is held and it is the Modified Mini race, and guess what

#6 Richard Bagby will return as will #07 Frank Long, two of the best Modified mini driver's on any track.

So tell your friends and if you can't be at the track, please give me a call at 770-361-3019 and some how some way I can make you a copy of the races on DVD.

Dvd's cost $20 at the track and if I have to mail it the price is always $25.

Remember I always have copies of older races, I have not gone over any master video tape yet. Just get me the date and I will make it for you.

Thanks so Much,

Tino Patti

A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist

With a world wide racing BLOG Following!

GOT SOME COMMENTS FEEL FREE TO POST THEM I WILL TRY AND ANSWER YOU, OR EMAIL ME AT : apattijr@bellsouth.net

COMMENTS! I DO NOT HAVE WINNING PHOTO'S

I DO NOT HAVE WINNING PHOTO'S OF CARS, I JUST HAVE THE RESULTS AND STORIES ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, SOME ONE IS LEAVING ME A COMMENT THINKING I SHOULD HAVE THE WINNING PHOTO'S, WHERE WOULD I GET THEM.

THE ONLY PHOTO'S I HAVE A PLACE ON THIS BLOG ARE PHOTO'S I SHOT, WHILE WALKING AROUND THE PIT AREA.


SORRY IF YOU THINK I AM SUPERMAN, BUT I AM NOT, THANKS FOR ASKING ANYWAY.

Ladies The Race is ON!!

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"Racing, Powder Puff Style, Only the Ladies do it this way"

It was July 4th, 2009 and it was the end of a long night, but we still had some major racing ahead of us, and that would be the famous Powder Puff Race of 2009.

Ladies would strap into their husbands cars, and tighten those straps and place those helmets on, and it would be like no other drive.

I mean this was not a trip to the local food store, or worse Wal-Mart, this was racing inside the Historic Old track of West Georgia Speedway. Yes CLAY, 3/8th of a mile of track that has seen some of the best racing in the South.

These wives sat back and watched their husbands race every Saturday Night, but they did not realize what it was really like. I mean watching and driving are two different animals.

They can sit and give advise as to what their husbands should have done, but they have to realize that it's different once on the track.

The "Burg" is known for taking drivers and cars out of a race, I mean this is no smooth as silk highway, where you can put your car on cruise control and sit back and relax, this is the track that men fear, so Women should also.

The main feature was a super great race that featured Mandy Bright driving #91 Lee Owensby's car, and Lisa "Earnhardt" Carter, driver her husbands #3 Monte-Carlo. Carey Smiths mother believe it or not was driving another Enduro car #6, I still do not know her name all I do know is that she has raced Powder Puff races in the past. That also goes for drivers like Mandy Bright who has also been a winner in the race driving a Mustang.

Lisa Carter, was slow on her take off because she thought that out of courtesy that the #91 was going to wait on her before the green light went on. "WRONG",

there is no waiting for you to get along side each other, it is everyone for himself or in this case herself. As Mandy seen the green light, she was gone, just like a trip to McDonald's, she was mov'in on down the road.

Lisa, was just starting to hit the gas, when she felt a bobble, and Jeff's car shook and she backed out of the gas, bad mistake.

It was most likely, a rut in this old track, that likes to claim victims in races. Once Lisa settled down, she began to drive like a pro, she was giving the car more gas, and easing into the banked curves. And on the back stretch she was starting to let the car fly as Brian Duke was at the back gate waving her on.

Then as the race was coming to a close, and everyone could go home, Mandy Bright took the checkered flag, and as soon as Lisa seen a Camero trying to pass her in her own words she said "HELL NO" and roared like a lion across the finish line to take her first checked flag at a speedway. Lisa gave it her all, but like everything else in life someone has to come in second and Lisa "The Breeze" Carter showed what she was made of, and I am sure she was shaking, and I can hear her now, telling her husband Jeff Carter how to drive, she did have some fantastic racing skills.

She may need to pass some of her skills over to her husband Jeff, so that he can work on his driving style. I mean you put her attitude into her husbands body and he may win every race.

Congratulations to all the Lady Driver's and better luck next year!!.

Hope you all had a safe and Happy 4th of July, and did not eat to much !!!!

Many Thanks,

Tino Patti

A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist

With a World Wide Blog Following!

IS LIFE GETTING ROUGH ?????

THE SPORTSMAN FEATURE WAS LIKE THIS GUY, SURFING THE DEADLY TSUNAMI , HE WAS AS BRAVE AS ALL OF THOSE SPORTSMAN DRIVERS THAT TRIED TO FINISH THE 40 LAPS OF DUST AND WIND, FROM HISTORIC WEST GEORGIA SPEEDWAY.

FINISHING, WAS THE TOUGH PART, AND RUCKER ORR AFTER THE STORMS OF PROTESTS WERE ENDED WAS DECLARED THE WINNER OF "THE BURG'S" 2009 SPORTSMAN FEATURE.

THE ORDER OF FINISH WERE AFTER #73 JASON WILLIAMS WAS DISQUALIFIED AND ALSO #13 ROGER CASSELL GOT THE BIG HEAVE HOE! ENDED UP AS

WINNING AND TAKING HOME THE CASH AND TROPHY #99 RUCKER ORR

#G1 GLENN MCWATER'S FINISHED 2ND
AND YOUNG AND TALENTED DRIVER #25 SCOTT DUFFEY ENDED UP TAKING HOME SOME GOOD HARD 3RD PLACE CASH.

IT'S LIKE THE GUY IN THIS SURFING VIDEO, YOU JUST HAVE TO HANG IN THERE AND REALLY PERSEVERE.

LIFE IS NOT ALL BRIGHT SPOTS.


THANKS,


TINO PATTI



A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist



WITH A WORLD WIDE BLOG FOLLOWING

SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009

"WELCOME TO WEST GEORGIA SPEEDWAY, AND THE 2009 SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE 40 laps of pure THUNDER"

Got your Coffee or Coke, you will need it, because these kinds of races don't happen every Saturday Night.

$100 0.00 CASH UP FOR GRABS, CHAMPIONS CAME TO RACE, ONLY 1 WOULD WALK AWAY WINNER, FOR THE 2009 SEASON AT THE BUR G

CONGRATULATIONS TO SPORTSMAN CHAMPION RUCKER ORR

The battle was tough, and Rucker drove against some of the best Sportsman drivers in Georgia.

He had to battle #G1 of Glenn McWaters, #13 of Roge r Cassell, #18C of Shane Criswell, not to mention #25 of Scott Duffey, #15 of young Aubry Merritt and #73 of Jason Williams.

ALL RACING ACTION CAN BE PURCHASED FOR $20 AND IT IS WELL WORTH YOUR MONEY, SO CALL : TINO AT 770-361-3019 AND I WILL MAKE A COPY FOR YOU.

RACES FEATURE MODIFIED MINI TO SPORTSMAN FEATURES.

All of these exciting races are caught on DVD and you will see plenty of pure out racing action, from Modified Mini races to the feature Sportsman race. with a pay-out of $1000.00 dollars cash to the Winner.

Plus at the end of the racing night. the ladies strapped into their husbands cars and had a blast in the Powder Puff race, always a sight to see.

Aubry Merritt was ready in his new Sportsman car, he is still a top young gun.

Young Carey Smith had a new sponsor, Dixie Jeans Bar & Grill, which makes racing easier for him.

Other drivers in the Crate race were, of course #17 Lamar Haygood, plus #32 Pete Cocran, and #14 Troy Dixon, these were the cream of the crop drivers for this race, Mark Knight or Shane Barrett did not make the show as did #16 Tony Kemp.

The Legend was at West Georgia ,I am talking about Lamar Haygood, from Douglasville Georgia, when he shows up to race, he never plays, he is out win.

On this night Lamar only brought one of his cars and that was a Crate Car, with his famous #17 on the side. Haygood is known in the dirt car racing circles as a man on a mission, and that was what he was on, a mission to win, at the BURG.

HIS NAME SAY'S IT ALL, A WINNER WHERE EVER HE GOES !

Always Ready for a GUN FIGHT on the track, Lamar never backs down from any driver.

When drivers like Haygood show up at a track, you know you will be watching some intense racing as he never lets out of the throttle and he gives it his all when he is racing.



Lamar Haygood has been a proven winning driver at almost every track he runs, and West Georgia Speedway is just another of his challenges. He has won before, but tonight would be

a new challenge.

Tonight, Lamar would have his 7 year old son, Kyler Haygood, watching his every move, I mean you know this is his famous Father.

Tonight would be different for Haygood as he was racing against a proven winner at the Burg, Pete Cocran, who is known as a scrappy drive

r and will win at any cost.

Tonight he was in car #32 which made no sense since the week before he won the Crate Champion

ship race in Michael Keeners old car #14.

This night #14 was driven by Troy Dixon, which was strange, but anything can change in racing.

I could not imagine Pete out running Lamar, but then again, Cocran knows the track and

that is the key in racing at the Burg. You may not like the track, but once you learn this grand old historic track out you can win at the best of tracks.

Tony Kemp did not make the show are we would have seen a incredible Crate car race. All in all, it was a great race, and the only 2 cautions were that of #89 Carey Smith who was all over the track.

The order of Finish of the CRATE RACE were:

Winning #32 Pete Cocran

2nd #17 Lamar Haygood

3rd #14 Troy Dixon

TIME TO EAT, AND GET READY FOR THE 2009 SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE

This was Sammy Dukes Party and the "BEST of the BEST" would be racing. These drivers came from every where, and they could smell the $1000 dollars cash at the end of the race, plus the trophy and knowing that they would become the 2009 West Georgia Speedway Sportsman Champion for the year.

Fans were ready, and this was going to be a pure out war, because these were the best of the best going for the cash.

You had drivers like #G1 of Glenn McWaters, a champion in his own right, plus drivers like #18C of Shane Criswell, #15 of young Aubry Merritt, plus old faithful #13 of Roger Cassell, then we had #99 of Rucker Orr and #25 of Scott Duffey. Then there was #11 Ryan Law from Piedmont, Alabama, and last #73 of Jason Williams, from Locust Groove Georgia. I do not want to leave out one of the youngest drivers in the sportsman class, who try's so hard every Saturday night, his name is Darrell Frick and drives car #28D, the trouble is that he spins

out more than any other driver, except for maybe #89 of crate car driving Carey Smith.

As soon as Keith, the flagman, dropped the green flag, I knew we were in trouble as Orr and Williams jumped the start, trying again, Keith was infuriated and came down from the flag stand and gave both driver's a ear full. Then when he returned he had placed Orr in the second row, which was a mistake, because when the green flag dropped, Orr went into turn 0ne like a bat out of hell, and on the video I was shooting we had a massive pile up, with Law spinning and getting the worst of it up against the old historic guard rail, #18C of Shane Criswell. It was a mess, but Sammy was there to untangle the mass of cars, and Orr, spun around and made his way back to the front straight to have his car checked.

Glenn McWaters made it through but almost every car had some kind of damage, and

that included #25 of Scott Duffey. Later in this fierce race, Aubry Merritt would run over Duffey and Merritt would get the worst of it, and his car had to be towed away from the inside guard rail.

After all the wrecks, it was back to down right southern style racing, and #73 of Jason Williams was showing he had something extra for the local boys, as he was out running everyone, and that was the same for #13 Roger Cassell, who was outrunning Rucker Orr and Glenn McWaters something that never happens. As the dust was flying and the cars racing hard around this historic race track, the sportsman seemed to settle down, with everyone following Jason William, and that included Roger Cassell, who was chasing Williams.

It was so hard to believe that Orr and McWaters, were not able to catch Williams or Cassell, I mean these were the best of Sportsmen drivers, and they never give up.

When the Checkered Flag was flying, we found #73 Jason Williams crossing the finish line first with #13 Roger Cassell coming in 2nd, and Orr 3rd with McWaters 4th and in 5th Scott Duffey.

It was amazing!!!! Williams had beaten Orr or McWaters in their own backyard, but WAIT, and I mean WAIT!!!!!!!!!

IT'S CALLED TEAR DOWN TIME !!!! I MEAN TEAR THEM CARS DOWN !!!!!

Sure enough late into the night, we found out that #73 Jason Williams was illegal and was disqualified, so was 2nd place #13 Roger Cassell.

So the WIN would go to #99 Rucker Orr plus the $1000 dollars and the trophy !!!!!!!!!

coming in 2nd would be #G1 of Glenn McWaters

and finishing a strong 3rd #25 of Scott Duffey, who has shown so much improvement.

Now friends, we have had Enduro and Hobby and Crate car CHAMPIONS, also the Sportsman had their championship and I would like to dedicate this song to every winning driver!

Thanks,

Be on the look out for new blog happenings like video interviews up and coming soon, so be ready to be interviewed and then it will be posted on the blogs giving you a more personal, relationship with these great drivers that we see every Saturday Night at Whitesburg, Georgia, at the Historic West Georgia Speedway.

Thanks to all my great freinds and new readers, feel free to leave comments, thanks for everything and every thing you have done to help myself and my wife, and this blog to become a better place.

Sincerly,

Tino Patti

A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist

With a WORLD WIDE Blog Following !!!

RESULTS RESULTS RESULTS

"RESULTS FROM JUNE 27,09 at West Georgia Speedway"

Sorry for the missed blogs, but my wife was sick, and I was running errands and doing things to make sure she was well. Again, but I do have the results from June 27, 2009 from West Georgia Speedway.

Here is a shortened version:

Modified Mini

winner #6 Richard Bagby

#07 Frank Long

11r Charles Lancaster

A Great race, which featured Richard Bagby showing the way with Frank Long chasing him down, it was just another of Richard's wins at West Georgia Speedway. He will be missed on the 4th of July as he and his family are enjoying the wonderful world of Florida.

The Enduro race results were:

Winning #j77 Scott Miller

#1 Kyle Huskey

#6 Eddie Swafford

The race was missing, #91 of Lee Owensby and #M4 of 2009 champion Winford Minnix, both were sitting this race out.

So that just meant we had new winners, and a change in racing order.

The Hobby Car race was missing #3 of Jeff Carter who was at a lake in Georgia enjoying himself with his family, and for Some reason Blant Duke was DQed by Sammy Duke prior to the race.

So the finishing results from the Hobby race were:

WINNING:

#29 Rusty Johnson * Who is the 2009 Hobby Car Champion at West Georgia Speedway.

#56 of Lee Mcewayne

#31 Blake Griffin

This was the Crate Championship for 2009 with the winner taking home $800 cash.

Driver like #16 Tony Kemp and #14 Pete Cocran, plus others were racing for the cash.

It looked like it was going to be a great race, but on the 1st lap driver Tony Kemp was taken out of the race by car #14 driven by Pete Cocran, I will let you make the call I was just doing the filming and all I saw was Cocran come down into Kemp's car, YOU MAKE YOUR OWN MIND.

The Order of finish of this 30 lap (sleeper) of a race were:

Wining

#14 Pete Cocran

# 85 Matt Watson

#32 Troy Dixon

NO TIME FOR A BREAK. SAMMY WANTED THESE RACES OVER,

So the Sportsman cars ran, without Glenn McWaters and without Rucker Orr who was serving a suspension out, but he would be back for the July 4th $1000 dollars to win race for sure.

This race would also, have it's share of people who never win, and that was the case win #13 Roger Cassell won, even though #11 Ryan Law was there to race, not to mention #7 Steve Nicholson as well as #73 Jason Williams.

When the race was over it was shocking to see in first place and winning,

#13 of Roger Cassell

2nd place #7 Steve Nicholson

3rd place #73 Jason Williams.

That is how the night finished out, and I had my own troubles when the camera microphone was not set to on, and was left in the standby mode during the race, which will never happen again.

OK, friends now we can get back to writing the next blog, which should be interesting, and I know you will want to know who won the $1000 dollar Sportsman feature on July 4th, 2009......so get ready as details will be coming here soon.

Many Thanks,

Tino Patti

A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist

With a WORLD WIDE Racing BLOG Following !!!