Thunder Road Museum opens

DAWSONVILLE - The Roar and rumble of engines old and new brought back memories and excitement Saturday at the opening of Thunder Road USA NASCAR museum in Dawsonville.

The state of the art museum telling the history of stock car racing was a source of pride for Gordon Pirkle of Dawsonville, who for years kept the memories alive at his pool hall downtown.

"I'm real excited, this is going to be a big thing for Dawsonville, said Pirkle.
"I like to refer to Dawsonville as the birth place of stock car racing."

Eight stock car racing greats were inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame Friday.

Visitors got their first chance to see the new 12 million dollar museum Saturday which includes interactive games, remote controlled racing cars and simulators, a theatre, gift shop and diner.

Veteran drivers who were part of the history recalled the dirt track days that led to the asphalt of NASCAR.

Museum supporter Gordon Pirkle remembered how it all began in Dawson County.

"There was racing going on in this area before there was organized racing," Pirkle said.

"Whiskey runners would get out in a cow pasture or corn field and see who had the fastest car on Sunday evening."

Crowds starting showing up for it and somebody got the idea to go to Lakewood Speedway, the old race track, and they started having races and charging for it."

Bob Moore, President of the Georgia Automobile
Racing Hall of Fame Association, said it wasn't only the whiskey transporters who help get racing started.

"The racing was tough, but we need to get our history recorded so the rumors won't persist." said Moore.

Moore said moon shine runners racing for fun were part of the history and the rumor.

" I think you'll find there's an element of the racing fraternity that did participate in that sort of thing, but successful business men also made successful racers and the mixure is what made our sport great."

The museum gives its visitors a racing experience with slot cars and simulators and an electronic guide to stock car greats.
Pirkle said it is Dawsonville's major effort to save his town.

Supporters hope it will endure as a major tourist attraction, attracting 250 thousand people annually.

Thunder Road President Marty Williams said there is not an attraction like this anywhere that tells the history and evolution of motor sports.

Promotors hope that the museum will become a major tourist attraction bringing up 250,OOO people annually.