Antique Tractor Pull: ‘Good, clean American fun’
May 30, 2002 — “Turn left at the only red light in town.”
When you are given those directions, you know you are headed for a countrified corner of the world. And when you turn onto Holloway Road in Danielsville, you know you have arrived.
It’s a graveyard for anything with gears. Tractors, backhoes and school buses [...]
Slot Car Racing: ‘3-2-1, squeeze ‘em!’
May 16, 2002 — I inspected the car Mark Taaffe built for me. I had my doubts as to whether it would withstand the beating I was about to put it through.
The car was yellow. It had a big blue “0″ emblazoned on its roof.
“Zero is as close as I could come to a bullseye,” [...]
Pit Crew: Life beyond the fast lane
June 26, 2001 — Tom Hardy was shouting. He wasn’t angry. Shouting just happens to be the main form of communication at Lanier [...]
Andretti Speed Lab: ‘Wheel-to-wheel competition’
April 17, 2001 — I cursed inside my helmet and squeezed my steering wheel.
I needed more speed.
But I couldn’t maneuver around the slowpoke in front of me. Time to make my presence felt. [...]
Offshore Racing: NASCAR on the water
September 26, 2000 — The fishermen stared at us. That’s about all they could do.
Their once tranquil fishing hole on Lake Lanier suddenly became Atlanta Motor Speedway.
A large flash of purple and [...]
Go-Kartin’: ‘If you ain’t scrubbin’, you ain’t racin”
March 7, 2000 — Round and round we went, leaning back in the seats of our go-karts, speeding along mere inches above the track of Georgia red clay.
We were playing a game of [...]
Car Racin’: ‘My stomach is still working its way back down from my throat’
May 25, 1999 — The following scene took place at convenience stores across America last week.
A family slowly approaches two men hurriedly refueling their 1987 Volvo 780. The car seems normal enough, save for the countless decals [...]
Lawn Mower Racing: ‘Just don’t wreck it … please’
April 13, 1999 — “Did he sign a release?” yelled Freda Elliot as I began to mount her son’s riding lawn mower this past Sunday.
Yes. I signed a release. Everybody at the lawn mower racing track on Funny Farm Road in Cleveland must sign a release.
“I don’t mean to be an old stinker,” said the [...]