The 2011 inductees are George Elliott of Dawsonville, Mike Head of Ellenwood, Harold Kite of College Park, Swayne Pritchett of Baldwin and Ken Ragan of Unadilla.
The induction banquet will be held on Oct. 21 at 6:00 at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, located inside the Dawsonville Municipal Complex in Dawsonville.
Reservations are required to attend. For information on purchasing a ticket or on the banquet, call the Hall of Fame at (706) 216-RACE (7223) or go online to www.georgiaracinghof.com.
Here's a closer look at the five inductees into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame for 2011:
*George Elliott was born April 7, 1924 in Dawsonville. While he may be best known as the father of NASCAR champion brothers Bill, Ernie and Dan Elliott and the grandfather to up and coming stock car racer Chase Elliott, those who knew him say he was the epitome of a hard worker and a fine gentleman. George owned a Ford dealership and a speed shop, and from that worked his way into racing.
*Mike Head was born on June 25, 1951 in Atlanta, Georgia. Head began racing in 1970 at the age of 17 and would go on to become one of the most successful and popular dirt track racers in the southeast. With over 650 feature wins to his credit, Head has won several track championships as well as a multitude of big races, including the Dixie 100, the North-South Shootout as well as the 1991 Northern All-Star Speedweek Championship and the 1991 Southern All-Stars Championship.
*Harold Kite was born November 14, 1922 in Atlanta. Kite's family was in the auto parts business, which led to Harold's love for things mechanical and for speed.
Kite served as a tank driver in World War II, and became interested in racing following the war. Over the years, he would compete and win at stock cars at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, at the famed Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, at the Birmingham Fairgrounds and at Iron Bowl in Alabama. He would also compete in a midget racer for fellow Georgia Racing Hall of Fame member Jimmy Baker at the Peach Bowl.
*Swayne Pritchett was born in 1922, and early on, was fascinated by speed. After World War II, Pritchett became involved in racing. His son, Harold, recalls seeing his father finish third at the old Habersham County Speedway north of Mt. Airy, Georgia.
*Ken Ragan was born on Sept. 12, 1950 into a racing family. His father, Hugh, owned race cars that raced on Daytona Beach and at the famed Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, among many others, in the 1940s and 1950s, picking up an eighth place finish on the beach in 1948.
Ragan began his racing career piloting high-speed go carts, winning the World Karting Association Championship in 1978 after finishing as runner-up in 1977. After he and his brother Marvin purchased a sportsman car from Bobby Allison, Ragan began racing in sportsman events across the southeast.
(Brandon Reed of georgiaracinghistory.com contributed to this story.)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/7/240467