![]() A five-mile road course was envisaged alongside the high-banked tri-oval, as well as the many other amenities. Among the leading lights behind the project were Bob Bersin, Marshall Spray, and NASCAR driver Glenn 'Fireball' Roberts, who were keen to bring stock car racing to Georgia. The project first saw the light of day in July 1959 when stockholders voted to buy the plot of land near Hephzibah, around 15 miles south west of Augusta, for $115,000. The massive facility covered such a large area it would be possible to fit the entire Daytona International Speedway in the infield! Had the project been fully completed, it would also have included a two-mile high-banked tri-oval superspeedway, golf course, a boat lake for hydroplane racing and also horse racing facilities, alongside the road racing course. Set in 1,041 acres, the Augusta International Speedway complex, as it was known as a whole, boasted a separate drag strip, half-mile dirt oval, state-of-the-art karting track, a 1/8 mile track for micro midgets and also a motorcycle scramble track. ![]() The fast, sweeping 3.0 mile road course was part of a much larger facility, billed at the time as the largest motorsport venue in the world. Despite this, much of the original layout remains, with part incorporated into a new public park and recreation ground, helping keep its sporting heritage alive. ![]() ![]() Augusta International Raceway enjoyed a spectacular but brief heyday from 1963 to 1969, never quite fulfilling its potential before falling into disuse and decay. ![]()
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