8 replies to this topic

[MPea3]

I went to get a haircut today and my usual lady wasn't available so I took a chance on a new older gentleman who was there. He asked about my motorcycle and the conversation quickly evolved into auto racing. It turned out that he was a native of the area and remembered many things including Lakewood and other old tracks. Along the way he mentioned the old speedway in Canton, Georgia, about 15 miles northwest of my own town Roswell, along a highway that I use often, including earlier today! This evening I've searched the old aerial photographs which Henry's used so often and checked Google Earth as well, and found it.

Does anyone know anything about the Canton Speedway? I find a few mentions but not much. It's about a half mile from an old dairy where they have a corn maze every year, and last year i spent some time with the owner who claimed to be the 3rd generation owner. Hopefully I can talk with him again.

Anyway, I have the 1960 photograph and the current Google shot. The track is located on Highway 140 southeast of Canton at the intersection of Stringer Road, just west of Cherokee Road and the unincorporated town of Hickory Flat.

[fines]

Hickory Flat rings a bell somewhere in a long deserted part of my brain. I keep on calling the name, but all I hear is the echo...

[WGD706]

Hickory Flats was on Hickory Flats Rd, 4 mi. S of Canton. Canton Speedway was a 1/4 mi. dirt oval, but I'm not sure if they were the same track.

[WGD706]

"The track is located on Highway 140 southeast of Canton at the intersection of Stringer Road, just west of Cherokee Road and the unincorporated town of Hickory Flat."
Is this related to Cherokee Motor Speedway W of Canton on SR 20 then N on SR 108 that was 3/8 mi. dirt oval active from 1967-1968?

[MPea3]

The location you mention on 108 is on the other side of Canton about 15 miles away from the 140/Stringer track.

I'm supposed to ride by there tomorrow on my way to Chattanooga, so I'll take my camera along and check out both locations.

[HistoricMustang]

Originally posted by WGD706
"The track is located on Highway 140 southeast of Canton at the intersection of Stringer Road, just west of Cherokee Road and the unincorporated town of Hickory Flat."
Is this related to Cherokee Motor Speedway W of Canton on SR 20 then N on SR 108 that was 3/8 mi. dirt oval active from 1967-1968?

Cherokee Motor Speedway

http://garhofa.org/i...id=39&catid=182

GARHOFA has some great historical information on former Georgia tracks.

If the organization does not implode the documentation should continue.

Look forward to photographs of modern day Canton Speedway.

Henry

[Lotus23]

Don't know if this clarifies or obfuscates:

According to my copy of Allan E. Brown's excellent America's Speedways, there were 3:

--"Canton Int'l Speedway - Canton - 1/3 mile dirt oval (1968); 1/3 mile paved oval (c.1969-c.1971); north of town near the airport"



--"Canton Speedway - Canton (Hickory Flats); 4 miles south of town on Hwy 140; 1/4 mile dirt oval (May 1953 - 1957) (1959); located on Hickory Flats Road"



--"Cherokee Motor Speedway - Canton (Waleska); 1/4 mile dirt oval (1967-1969); located north of Canton on SR5"

[MPea3]

Originally posted by Lotus23
Don't know if this clarifies or obfuscates:

According to my copy of Allan E. Brown's excellent America's Speedways, there were 3:

--"Canton Int'l Speedway - Canton - 1/3 mile dirt oval (1968); 1/3 mile paved oval (c.1969-c.1971); north of town near the airport"



--"Canton Speedway - Canton (Hickory Flats); 4 miles south of town on Hwy 140; 1/4 mile dirt oval (May 1953 - 1957) (1959); located on Hickory Flats Road"



--"Cherokee Motor Speedway - Canton (Waleska); 1/4 mile dirt oval (1967-1969); located north of Canton on SR5"

It's the 2nd track by the description. Canton Speedway was also what the gentleman yesterday called it.

He also said that he used to get his car repaired at the Cherokee Garage of Gober Sosebee fame. He says it was on the northwest corner of Spring Street and Peachtree Place in downtown Atlanta. I'll have to add that to my list of places to visit and photograph.

The "Cherokee Motor Speedway" mentioned above doesn't really make sense by the description. Waleska is about 6 miles northwest of Canton but nowhere near Highway 5, but rather at the intersection of highways 140 and 108.

[MPea3]

I just got back from Chattanooga and stopped at the track on the way back. I went on down Stringer Road to the Cagle Dairy and spent about an hour with the owners discussing that and the other tracks.

Joel has the names of the tracks correct. The one at Stringer and 140 was called the Cherokee Speedway, and the owners lived right there at the track. Actually, Mrs. Stringer stilll lives there but I decided my hatred of dogs and shotguns meant it was better that I didn't disturb her. According to the Cagles the place was pretty wild, being a race track and drinking every Saturday night before going to church on Sunday morning. The elder Mr. Cagle also said that the local churches were "hard agin racin" (that's "heavy against racing" for those of you not familiar with the south...) and sermons against racing and that track specifically were common.

I took a photograph from the intersection of Stringer and 140, but except for the tree line not much of anything is visible.



I asked them about the other two tracks. The one up by the airport was actually in Ballground, GA in front of the airport. It's now the site of an industrial park. It was called Canton International Speedway or Raceway.

[/IMG]

The track on 108 was a couple of miles from 20 toward Waleska on the east side of the road at this location. The dark area to the south of the small creek was a lake, and the track was just to the north of there. I think I can make out at least part of an oval but it might be my imagination. The Cagles said that they used to deliver milk there for the concession stand, and that one of their drivers took it upon himself to take a couple of laps at speed one night after the racing was done. Unfortunately for him it showed up in the paper the next week.

They also said that right around the time the track stopped running one of the owners was busted for having a still on the property. They didn't remember if that was the reason they stopped running or not.