With the NASCAR season coming to a close and the final races of the season wrapping up soon in the Chattanooga/Cleveland areas, a little bit of history has surfaced in the local racing community.
Most Chattanoogans are unaware of the NASCAR connection that our area had back in the beginning of the 1960's when racers like Freddy Fryar, Friday Hassler and former Cleveland Speedway owner/promoter Joe Lee Johnson were contenders in the top Grand National (aka Sprint Cup today) series.
E.A. Boyd, builder of the Boyd's Speedway in East Ridge, eventually sanctioned his racing programs with NASCAR in the mid-60's, to the extent that many of the legends of the sport competed on the 3/8's mile track. Bobby and Donnie Allison of Alabama were regular contenders, but very few people recall the event that drew a "Battle Royal" of a race that included "The King" Richard (Dick) Petty and his future arch-rival David Pearson. Future Hall of Famer Buck Baker, Ned Jarrett and even recent inductee Wendall Scott all competed at Boyd's (aka Chattanooga International Raceway).
What a lot of people don't realize is the behind the scenes story that involved NASCAR's interest in Chattanooga for the future of the sport. According to local insiders, NASCAR went to Chattanooga City Counsel with a plan for bringing their top series to Chattanooga twice a year for a pair of annual racing events that would bring money into the local economy. The deal with Chattanooga for electric and water services could not be agreed upon, hence forcing NASCAR's removal of their sanctioning body over all events at Boyd's.
Within a year's time NASCAR bought a piece of land on the Tennessee / Virginia border and built their own 1/2 mile stock car racing facility, which still hosts all three of NASCAR top national series. One can only imagine Bristol Motor Speedway sitting here on the border of the Tennessee / Georgia state line and what it would have meant to the growth and development of the area.