Tracks - Augusta International Raceway (2024)

HistoricMustang said:

It is different than this one, but this one is pretty good as it shows just how void of foliage the complex was.....just to the right of the pit lane at the top was the garage.....which was state of the art for its time. Just "north" of the pit lane was the grandstand area and just behind the grandstands were the restrooms and concession stands. The golf course can be seen in your photo. The wooden guard rails began at the end of the lake area at bottom of photo and extended to pit entrance. The downhill section is on the left and the uphill section is on the right. Highest point of the circuit is upper left and lowest section is in the lake area mid photo. It was a very sandy area and the drivers complained of the track being slippery due to sand.

Side Note: I grew up two miles from the tracks (8) as they were being constructed.

Thanks for all that you are doing.

Click to expand...

This is the photo I mentioned that has great detail and was taken the month of the first event at the track. It is 1 meg vs 26 megs. I will Facebook PM the original (26 meg) if not too large........our last hope would be to e-mail. This gives a lot of detail on surroundings of facility........golf course, lakes for hydro-plane racing, etc.............as well as the public road that ran very close to the track in right of photo.

One interesting fact about this photo....just left of center of photo you can see where grading had actually been started on the two mile tri-oval. Pit out and turn one can be seen cutting across the road circuit pit lane. After visiting Riverside and seeing 80,000 folks at a road race the developers pulled off grading the tri-oval and built the 3 mile road circuit.

If OK with the members, I will keep putting up info on the facility that may or may not be included in the project. Here is the grandstand area that sat on pit lane.

The garage area. These photos are from the Dave Friedman and Joe Cawley collections.

These are Dave Friedman photos on file for public sharing at the Henry Ford Museum. I am prepared to work these into individual photo's if it will help the project. A lot of surrounding info in these.

And, road circuit facility specifications from a 1960's flyer. The road circuit was known as "Raceway", the entire 8 track facility was know as "Speedway".

Here's the December 1971 aerial photo (reduced from hi-res TIF) that shows the changes after track was decommissioned. Grandstands are gone, garage is gone but pad remains, looks like tree farm planted behind grandstand, and erosion in bare earth. Tough to see in this view, but plain on hi-res TIF is the scarring of the track to keep people from using it.

Emery said:

Here's the December 1971 aerial photo (reduced from hi-res TIF) that shows the changes after track was decommissioned. Grandstands are gone, garage is gone but pad remains, looks like tree farm planted behind grandstand, and erosion in bare earth. Tough to see in this view, but plain on hi-res TIF is the scarring of the track to keep people from using it.
View attachment 191557

Click to expand...

Yeah I have that one but it is skewed quite a bit and doesn't really fit the data cleanly. The 64 one is more 'square'

Can't remember where I picked up this pic, but it's the only period color image I've found of Augusta. The yellow Elvas are Scuderia Tin Can and that's the rear of a Chaparral in the foreground.

Edit: wait, I do have 3 more color pics.

Pit lane: Note round pipe used for railing. Doesn't look painted, maybe just that gas-piping-black. These are Shelby's King Cobras. Believe that's the tree from the NASCAR pic in the background above the station wagon.

Pit lane: billboard appears to be halfway between pit lane and the starter's tower in the distance. Wish I had found better resolution... enlarging this shows billboard to be for PURE. "PURE xxxx yyyyy" on top line and maybe "Lubrication of Champions" on second line. Note telephone pole next to track (!?) about 100' after starter's tower.

Edit: billboard says "PURE Firebird GASOLINE" and "Choice Of Champions". Better reproductions of these color photos by Richard Macon are in "USSRC A Record of the United States Road Racing Championship 1963-1968" by Mike Martin. Mike's blog is at http://grimeheel.blogspot.com/

Another pit lane photo...........

Pit lane: looks like spectators were allowed to park near the track on the inside of 'straight' leading to start/finish.

Race was March 1st, which is why bare trees & dead grass.

Cheetah's in garage. Shelby hauler in background. The "Augusta 14" Grand Sport Corvette of Don Yenko behind gentleman in photo.

LilSki said:

From the aerials it looks like the edge of the track was sand mainly? Was the 'golf course' ever finished? Did it ever have lush green grass in the infield?

Click to expand...

No, the track was completely (well almost) void of vegetation inside and outside was also pretty void of foliage. Drivers I have talked to complained of sandy track. This photo pretty much confirms what they told me.

The golf course was never actually completed, but they had grand plans.

LilSki said:

OK so in general we are looking at another sand based scenery like Riverside and Bridgehampton (early years).

Click to expand...

Yes.