{"id":373471,"date":"2025-12-28T17:22:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T17:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/373471\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T17:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T17:22:09","slug":"georgias-abandoned-nascar-track-is-a-well-preserved-historic-gem-south-of-atlanta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/373471\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia’s Abandoned NASCAR Track Is A Well-Preserved Historic Gem South Of Atlanta"},"content":{"rendered":"

Atlanta has no shortage of bucket-list attractions, but some of its most compelling stories are found a ways a way from places like the Beltline \u2014 a network of trails, eateries, and parks<\/a> \u2014 and the World of Coca Cola.\u00a0Hidden nearly two hours south of the city sits the Middle Georgia Raceway,\u00a0an abandoned NASCAR track where dirt, decay, and imagination reveal a surprising piece of American history with national impact.<\/p>\n

The track was operational between 1966 and 1984 for nine NASCAR Grand National races, ASA amateur races, and\u00a0ARCA events, according to Abandoned Southeast<\/a>. While it made an impact in the race world and drew in legendary drivers of the era, the track goes deeper than that … quite literally. In 1967, federal agents discovered an illegal moonshine distillery buried\u00a017 feet underground with a secret entrance in the ticket booth. A few years later, in 1970, it also was the venue for the second Atlanta International Pop Festival, which later became known as the “Woodstock of the South.” Despite it’s illegal production of spirits and historical music moments, it remains one of the most iconic tracks in U.S. history.<\/p>\n

Read more: The Game-Changing TikTok Hack That Sneakily Gets Around TSA’s Strict Liquid Rules<\/a><\/p>\n

The reason NASCAR fans want to visit the abandoned track and why it was never rebuilt\"\"<\/p>\n

During its prime, the Middle Georgia Speedway played a major role in shaping NASCAR’s early seasons. One of the most decorated drivers, Bobby Allison, won three races here, and Richard Petty, a man who spent three decades<\/a> in his race career, won four. This track also started the\u00a01968 and 1969 NASCAR seasons, marking its importance on the racing calendar.<\/p>\n

So, what remains today? Visitors who explore the site describe cracked asphalt\u00a0slowly being reclaimed by nature, rusted guardrails, and faded grandstands.\u00a0Reddit<\/a> users who’ve visited in recent years mention that the track a timeless snapshot of a mid-century NASCAR venue. In fact, they say they would still like to see it function as a racetrack.<\/p>\n

While it’s unclear if that’s the reason for the track’s decline, the raceway shut down in 1986 and was later used in a 2011 Dodge Durango commercial<\/a>, highlighting the track’s abandonment.\u00a0Between 2011 and 2019, the latest owner, Tim Thornton, held some events and reunions at the track. However, unlike North Carolina’s once-abandoned NASCAR track turned green space<\/a>, Thornton put his property up for sale. As of the beginning of 2025,\u00a0it still exists for sightseeing. So, after you go check out the Beltline and the World of Coca-Cola, head south to the Middle Georgia Raceway before it’s gone forever.<\/p>\n

Want to discover more places around ATL? Check out our feature on\u00a0Fayetteville, a scenic city just on the outskirts of the metropolis with artsy vibes and a walkable downtown<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter<\/a> and add us as a preferred search source<\/a> for access to the world’s best-kept travel secrets.<\/p>\n

Read the original article on Islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Atlanta has no shortage of bucket-list attractions, but some of its most compelling stories are found a ways…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,159486,634,159487,82,159488],"class_list":["post-373471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-middle-georgia-raceway","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-track","tag-sports","tag-tim-thornton"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}