Senoia Raceway

I have been covering racing at the national level (NASCAR, NHRA) for several years now, but there’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of racing at small, hometown tracks like Senoia Raceway. I’ve been driving past this track, which is right off Ga. Hwy 16 between Griffin and Newnan, since 2005, but had never been to a race there until earlier this month.

What makes the atmosphere so much better, in my opinion, than big-time, national racing, is the fact that the fans actually know the drivers. They are neighbors, they work together, go to church together, and raise families together. So when a driver wins the race, or crashes into the wall at 60mph, it’s personal. If a car has to replaced, fans know that it will be coming out of the driver’s paycheck, not absorbed by a sponsor’s budget. There’s not a spare car waiting inside a shiny, well-lit trailer in the infield. If a car is totaled, it might take weeks to get back on the track. It’s real life for these folks.

Thanks for stopping my blog. This is my photo report from one evening at the track on May 10, 2014. If you’re interested in racing and live in the area, I know they race there every Saturday from now until late September.