Lavonia Speedway

Lavonia Speedway
Location6165 Lavonia Hwy
Lavonia, Georgia
30553
Coordinates34°24′36″N 83°02′18″W / 34.409884°N 83.038208°W / 34.409884; -83.038208
Capacity2,500
OwnerTaylor Griffith
Broke ground1969
OpenedSeptember 12, 1971
ArchitectHenry Martin Ford[1]
Former namesCharlie's Raceway (1979)[2]
The New Lavonia Speedway (2013–2021)
Major eventsCurrent:
Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series (2023, 2026-present)
United Sprint Car Series (1997–present)
Rusty Jordan Memorial (2021–present)
Past:
World of Outlaws Late Model Series (2014, 2018-2022)
Websitewww.lavoniaspeedway.com
SurfaceDirt (1971-1989, 1996-present)
Asphalt (1990-1995)
Length0.375 mi (0.604 km)
Turns4
Race lap record14.990 (Zack Mitchell, 2022, Dirt Super Late Model[3])
Paved 3/8 Mile Oval (1990–1996)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length0.375 mi (0.604 km)
Turns4
Original 1/2 Mile Dirt Oval (1971–1990)
SurfaceDirt
Length0.500 mi (0.805 km)
Turns4

Lavonia Speedway is a 0.375 mi (0.604 km) dirt oval short track in Lavonia, Georgia. The track primarily holds weekly events with some regional Dirt Super Late Model and 360 Sprint Car series stopping in throughout the year and has previously hosted events for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Lavonia is owned and operated by Taylor Griffith.[4][5]

Description

Lavonia is a 0.375 mi (0.604 km), semi-banked, dirt oval.[6] The track has a seating capacity of 2,500.[7][8]

History

Zac Hill in a Modified Street at Lavonia in September 2023.

Opened on September 12, 1971, Lavonia was initially a 0.500 mi (0.805 km), semi-banked dirt track.[9] In 1990, the track was paved and shortened to a 0.375 mi (0.604 km) and retained its original baking. Finally in 1996, the asphalt was torn out and reverted to a dirt oval.[10]

The track closed in 2010 but was later brought back to competition after a few years away in 2013.[11][12]

In 2026, the track drew its biggest attendance numbers in history when NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar raced at the track.[13][14]

Weekly racing

Clay Thompson in a 602 Crate Dirt Late Model at Lavonia in April 2024.

Lavonia hosts 5 classes of weekly racing,[15] including:

Notable drivers

Notable drivers who competed at Lavonia on a regular basis include:

References

  1. ↑ "A Look At Old Tracks of Northeast Georgia". Georgia Racing History. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  2. ↑ "NDRA:1979-08". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Mitchell edges Bailes for Ultimate win". Dirt On Dirt. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  4. ↑ "EP180: Speedway Announcement, Modifieds, and TGR Lazer Chassis". Crate Insider. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Bray captures first Southeastern tour victory". Dirt on Dirt (2). Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Lavonia Speedway in Lavonia, Georgia, USA". dirtFan. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Track Info Seating". Lavonia Speedway. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Lavonia Speedway". Explore Georgia. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  9. ↑ "The World of Outlaws Late Models make their first stop in Georgia of the season as they do battle at Lavonia Speedway". World of Outlaws. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Lavonia Pulls Asphalt Up, Goes Dirt for '96". The Hartwell Sun. Lavonia, GA: The Hartwell Sun. January 24, 1996. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  11. ↑ "'LATE MODEL MANIA' BRINGS RACING BACK TO NEW LAVONIA SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND". Performance Racing Industries. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Best of 2012: Southern state-by-state capsules". Dirt on Dirt (3). Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Hurricane Hocevar draws record crowd to Lavonia Speedway". The Hartwell Sun (2). Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Lavonia gives Winger fourth in row with HTF". Dirt on Dirt (4). Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Rules". Lavonia Speedway. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Haley collars Lavonia's $3,000 Fastrak purse". Dirt on Dirt (5). Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Haley Rebounds For Lavonia Limited Late Model Victory". Raceweek Illustrated. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Jeremy Mayfield - Lavonia Speedway results". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Jack Pennington". National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  20. ↑ "'Buck' Not About The Bucks; He Was About The Wins". Georgia Racing History (2). Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Racing Legend Buck Simmons Passes Away". Raceweek Illustrated. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.