Huston Platt's Dixie Twister found and restored

[green34ford]

The Dixie Twister was the one involved in the wreck at the Yellow River Drag Strip in Georgia in 1969. A spectator drop his beer and leaned out and the parachute caught him and the car went into the grandstands. I thought some might be interested in reading the article in one the local newspapers.

http://www.dawsonnews.com/section/1/article/8640/

[rspears]

Wow! Quite a story! It's hard to imagine that chain of events happening, which is why they're called "accidents", I suppose.

FYI, I put the cursor over the HTML Code, did a "CTRL/left click", hit the little arrow box that lit up and then selected "Search with Google" to open that link. Pretty slick!!

[shine]

if you highlight the code it will open a box to copy or go to page .

[shine]

the part i didn't understand was " when he rounded the corner " .

[pro70z28]

I didn't understand the part about calling it a 69 Camaro.

The 1969 Camaro has come to represent a major mile marker in professional racing safety standards since the historic crash.

[rspears]

I didn't understand the part about calling it a 69 Camaro.

Yeah, there're some inconsistencies in that newspaper account, aren't there? If you click on the picture there's another shot that says it is from '69, and that car is obviously different.
5_Dixie_Twister_pic1.jpg

[cffisher]

I can't get it to do anything??

[HOSS429]

I can't get it to do anything??

copy the link and do a google search with it ..

[34_40]

I can't get it to do anything??

try this Hoss.

Drag racing car finds home

[cffisher]

Thanks interesting story but I agree How fast was he going while turning ??? and if I'm not mistakeing thats a 70 Camaro.

[green34ford]

I thought the same thing about the turn, but Gordon Pirkle is a big NASCAR buff. he also owns the Dawsonville Pool Room which is all about NASCAR and Bill Elliot. It's in the Dawson County news online if that helps anyone find the article.
The old Yellow Creek Drag Strip is now a trailer park. that race day from what I read before was the first time Coke a Cola and the Atlanta Constitution had promoted a Drag race if I remember correctly.

[rspears]

The newspaper article appears to have some critical errors, if one believes the accounts of the supposed eye-witnesses - Deadly Day at the Drags The account seems to be more believable that the driver got out of shape, pulled his chute and went out of control just past the guard rail which ended well short of the finish line - another account says at about the 1000 foot mark. The guy who had dropped his beer was on the wrong side of the fence and got tangled in the chute, as I read it...

[jerry clayton]

I can remember back in 64-65 of racing down in Ga and Ala and only being 2 close narrow lanes thru the woods with all the betters right at pavement edge or closer---it wasn't unusual for the lead car to go to center of the track and the other had to follow---

[cffisher]

Union Grove or Oswago here in the midwest was like that back then 60/65 stand right out on the edge of the track, I'm not sure about us30 but I'm sure past the 1320 it was open

[jerry clayton]

US30 they sat on the guard rail and passed money back and forth as they won or lost on there bets---it was worse there than the grove or oswego---

And US 30 was 2 separate lanes with a grass strip between them til the big end