ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. — The second edition of the Gene Maine Memorial will take place May 8, 2021, at Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga., and the one-day show will feature competitors from the Newsome Raceway Parts-sponsored Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series.
The race will pay $10,000 to the winner, and will be the third event in a slightly-revised, 25-event season for the Adairsville, Ga-based sanctioning body. It’ll also be the third event for the newly-established E-Z-GO Challenge Series, which is a collection of 10 races that each pay at least $10,000 to the winner, and that unique “series within a series” carries a points fund that is separate from the regular touring series.
A practice session is scheduled on Friday, May 7, but all racing-related activities, including Boyd-Bilt Fabrication qualifying sessions and KRC Power Steering heat races, will be held the next night at the 3/8-mile facility. The first event in the newly-announced TopNotch Challenge Series for 602 Sportsman machines will also be included on the program, paying $1,000 to win and $100 to start. The Southern Modified Sportsman Series (Skeeters) are also on the card.
Mark your calendars to remember and pay respects to a man affectionately known in the pit area and among fans as “Gentleman” Gene Maine, who played a huge role in dirt track stock car racing across the Florida/Georgia region during a lengthy motorsports career that produced many victories, and included a 1997 championship on the late Ray Miller’s highly-popular National Late Model Series, which was also known as the “Southern Dirt Tour.”
Maine was a huge part of the highly-successful touring circuit’s extensive history, rising from weekly competition at tracks such as the now-defunct Thunderbowl Speedway in Valdosta, Ga., and the now-paved Cordele (Ga.) Speedway, which is currently identified as Crisp Motorsports Park. Maine became a series titlist on Miller’s circuit almost 25 years ago, capping off a strong year that included a record-setting number of victories on the ’97 tour while competing against drivers such as Cecil Eunice, Ivedent Lloyd Jr., Skip Pannell, Steve Jones, Terry Lumley, Henry Carter Jr., Jimmy Sharpe, Billy Godowns Jr. and Ricky Brant.
Maine lost his life in an off-track driving accident, but left behind a host of memories as a well-liked competitor, and a reputation as a capable race car driver who was always tough to beat during his finest seasons on a circuit that made appearances on a regular basis at most of the difficult tracks in the Florida/Georgia region.
“Gene [Maine] was a good dude, and I loved being around him because he was a such a great guy,” said Ivedent Lloyd Jr., who was a five-time champion on Ray Miller’s well-known circuit. “Many of the tracks we were racing on at the time have been improved now, but back then a lot of ‘em were one-grooved, rubbered-up facilities that were tough to run, and the cars were a little slower on corner speeds in that period, so you really had to work on your stuff. We had some great races back in those days, and it was an era when you really had to drive those cars. Gene [Maine] and I actually expanded our careers about the same time, and it was Ray Miller’s deal that got both of us branching out and traveling a lot more.”
Lloyd is not planning to attend the event named in his friend’s memory, but the Ocala, Fla., driver is soon to return to the sport in a driving capacity, and has two open motors and a recently-acquired 604 Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine at his disposal.
“We’ll be coming back soon and doing some racing,” Lloyd said. “We built a house and my mom passed away, but we’re about ready to go racing again soon. If my stuff was gonna be ready I’d probably be there at Gene’s race, because I always really liked the guy. When he passed away I didn’t hear that it happened, or I’d have taken a day or two off work and been at the man’s funeral. That’s how much respect I had for him.”
Lloyd and Maine raced together during the heyday of Miller’s touring series, and both men traded paint occasionally on some of the region’s most difficult racetracks—Lloyd in a Snow Bros.-fielded entry and Maine wheeling an Ives Racing-backed machine.
“He [Maine] and I probably had a few altercations over the years, but we always worked it out,” Lloyd said. “Looking back, it was probably mostly due to those one-lane tracks where you had to run the car straight, and there really wasn’t a lot of racing room. He was tough, and very good at those kinda places, but I never saw him act a fool or get too upset. His equipment always looked good and was well-prepared, and I really liked racing against him. I had a lot of respect for the guy.”
Fans who wish to attend the event and honor Maine’s memory can visit the Kelly and Mandy Walker-owned and Chance Smith-promoted facility, which is located in Norman Park, Ga., seven miles west of Exit 49 off Interstate 75. More information may be obtained at the track’s website by accessing www.raceneedmorespeedway.com, or by calling (229) 891-1334.
Information concerning Crate Racin’ USA can be found at www.crateracinusa.com, or by checking the organization’s social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The economical Chevrolet Performance 602 and 604 Circle Track Engine is utilized by competitors in the various divisions presented by Crate Racin’ USA. It’s in stock and available for free, next-day delivery from Newsome Raceway Parts in Hartsville, S.C.
Each engine is built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications. To place an order, call 1-877-497-3624.
For more information and rules, visit the organization’s website at www.crateracinusa.com, or follow our extensive social media programs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Newsome Raceway Parts, a division of Raceway Chevrolet in Hartsville, S.C., is the title sponsor of Crate Racin’ USA. E-Z-GO Golf Carts is the title sponsor of the newly-established E-Z-GO $100,000+ Challenge.
Chevrolet Performance is an official sponsor of the organization, along with Advanced Laser & Machine, Cruise with the Champions, Hoosier Racing Tire, KRC Power Steering, Knowles Race Parts and Bodies, My Race Pass, VP Racing Fuels and Lubricants and Willy’s Carburetors.
Official chassis sponsors include Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis and CVR Race Cars.