10/01/2025
: Do you recognize this place?
Seeing its first race on November 8th, 1959, the Athens Speedway, founded and owned by a young local businessman, Bill Cooley, served as a staple of short-track racing in the Southeast until its closure in 1992. Located at 1890 Jimmy Daniel Rd along McNutt Creek, the Speedway consisted of a quarter-mile clay track with stone bleachers. In front of crowds of up to 8,000 people, the Speedway hosted races for a variety of stock cars, including the famed "Skeeter" car, distinguished by the wing adorning this model's roof. Several short-track racing stars, such as Georgia Racing Hall of Famers Bud Lunsford, Tootle Estes, and Charlie Padgett, found success on the track. However, the Speedway's biggest claim to fame may well be on the silver screen, as it served as a filming location for the 1974 film "Greased Lightning," starring Richard Pryor and Pam Grier.
Despite the popularity of the Speedway, new developments along Jennings Mill Road led to the closure of the track in 1992, as the owners of the Jennings Mill development purchased the track from Bill Cooley and shut it down due to the noise generated by the Speedway. Today, little remains of the physical Athens Speedway, with the bleachers and a few walls standing among the forest that has blanketed the former track. However, the community remains tight-knit, hosting the Annual Athens Speedway Reunions since 2010 at South Jackson Elementary School, which includes vintage race cars and Speedway memorabilia displays.
Historic sites are physical reminders of the diversity of our experiences and the history we share, but once destroyed, they cannot be replaced. At Historic Athens, we work every day to be a proactive voice for preservation, but we can’t do it without your help.
Consider joining and supporting our mission:
1️⃣ Make a one-time contribution: historicathens.com/support
2️⃣ Renew or become a member: historicathens.com/join
3️⃣ Join our Partner Program: historicathens.com/partner
📷: Georgiaracinghistory.com
