BRASELTON, Ga. — Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) will present one of America’s oldest and most revered historic race events this weekend, as the 45th edition of The Mitty takes place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. With this year’s race being a part of NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary celebration, the southeast-based STOCK CAR CLASSICS group has been invited to be a featured attraction at the event on Friday and Saturday, April 28th and 29th.
HSR is a sanctioning body that supports historic racing in the USA. It is owned and operated by IMSA and has offices in NASCAR’s Daytona Beach headquarters. It began with the first Walter Mitty challenge race at Road Atlanta in 1977. Over 300 cars from across the racing world and up to 40,000 spectators are possible at each event, as the category of historic sports car racing continues to be the fastest rising type of motorsport in the US and Europe, according to the HSR website.
STOCK CAR CLASSICS is a group of over 30 history buffs who have purchased and restored former NASCAR Cup Series cars that raced between 1950 and 2007. The pairing of STOCK CAR CLASSICS and The Mitty is a natural one, as over 300 historic race cars of all types will be on hand, but the focus this year will be on NASCAR due to the anniversary.
Brinkley Whiteside, founder of STOCK CAR CLASSICS and the owner of two cars involved in the group’s exhibition-style events, says over a dozen cars from the group will be there. “We are humbled and honored to be invited to take part in The Mitty and to help NASCAR celebrate their 75th Anniversary there,” he said. “We have a nice variety of cars heading to Road Atlanta, including a former Craftsman Truck, and former NASCAR racer Bill Lester will be there to take some laps in one of my cars that he formerly raced. Our group has grown tremendously in the past year, and to see the interest from NASCAR and from the fans in what we’re doing is really exciting.”
The group will also be on hand and on the track at Darlington Raceway for their throwback weekend coming up in May, and fans are welcome at both events to come and see the cars up close, meet the men behind the machines and take photos or video as they wish. “Our mission is keeping history on track,” added Whiteside. “We love going to the NASCAR facilities and putting these cars back on the same tracks they raced on, and an event like The Mitty or Darlington’s big weekend where so many fans can come out and see us just makes all the work we put into the cars worth it. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this year and all these events possible for us. We are excited to put on a good show!”
For more information about Michelin Road Atlanta and The Mitty, visit www.roadatlanta.com. To purchase tickets for the event, visit www.hsrtickets.com. For more information about STOCK CAR CLASSICS, visit their website at www.stockcarclassics.com or join their Facebook group by searching STOCK CAR CLASSICS on the platform.
