Lakewood Speedway
Atlanta, GA, USA
Track History
Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta was a one-mile dirt oval that served as the original home of stock car racing in Georgia, hosting 11 Cup Series races between 1951 and 1959. The mile-long dirt track was fast and dangerous in equal measure, with the flat surface and lengthy straightaways allowing cars to reach speeds that tested the limits of both machinery and bravery. Lakewood predated the Atlanta Motor Speedway that would eventually become the city's permanent Cup venue, and those 11 races established Atlanta as a major market for stock car racing. The track sat within Lakewood Park, a fairgrounds and amusement area south of downtown, and race days drew massive crowds from across the metropolitan area. Eleven races on a one-mile dirt track produced some of the most dramatic competition of the era, as the combination of high speed, loose surface, and aggressive fields created conditions where the unexpected was the norm. Lakewood Speedway laid the groundwork for everything that would follow in Atlanta's rich motorsport history.
Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference
Top Drivers at Lakewood Speedway
Buck Baker leads all drivers at Lakewood Speedway with 2 wins across 10 starts.
All-time stats across Cup, O'Reilly & Trucks (min 3 starts)
| Driver | Races | Wins | Avg Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Baker | 10 | 2 | 6.7 |
| Herb Thomas | 7 | 2 | 8.4 |
| Lee Petty | 11 | 1 | 7.3 |
| Curtis Turner | 6 | 1 | 9.2 |
| Tim Flock | 7 | 1 | 14.6 |
Race Winners (1951-1959)
Lakewood Speedway has crowned 9 different Cup Series winners since 1951.
| Year | Race | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Johnny Beauchamp |
| 1959 | 150 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Lee Petty |
| 1958 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Curtis Turner |
| 1958 | 150 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Junior Johnson |
| 1956 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Buck Baker |
| 1954 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Herb Thomas |
| 1953 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Buck Baker |
| 1953 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Herb Thomas |
| 1952 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Bill Blair |
| 1952 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Donald Thomas |
| 1951 | 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway | Tim Flock |
Race Dynamics
Short tracks feature close-quarters racing with higher caution rates. Aggressive drivers and bump-and-run tactics thrive here. Strong restarts and late-race speed are essential. Track-specific history matters more here than at any other track type.
Top Rated Drivers at Lakewood Speedway
No NR-Rating driver data available for this track yet.
Similar Tracks
Track similarity data not yet available.
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