This year’s Pine Tree festivities are soon to kick off, including the 2021 Pine Tree Festival 100 at Swainsboro Raceway!
Racing action will commence Saturday, May 1, 2021 with a total purse of $7,500 on the line between five classes: the Zaxby’s crate lates ($3,000), the Southland Insurance 602 lates ($2,000), the Rustic Grill street stocks ($1,000), the Daniels Chevrolet road warriors ($1,000), and the Bargain Bucket 440s ($500). Gates will open at 3 p.m. with racing to begin at 6:30.
Drivers will also compete in the Lynn & Bob’s Crown Vic class, a crowd-favorite and new to the slate of classes at Swainsboro Raceway.
Additionally, the kart track will be open for the first time this year with 15 classes set to battle it out. Karting will start at 5:15 p.m.
Grandstand and kart tickets for adults will be $15 each while children ages 6 to 10 will be admitted for $10 each.
Pit passes will be $35 for adults and $25 for children ages six to 10.
If you’re looking for a bit of family fun this weekend, Swainsboro Raceway will be the place to go. This event—the Pine Tree 100—has a proven track record (pun intended) of providing just that for the community; it has been an integral part of the festivities for 52 years now.
Woody Moore, the first Pine Tree 100 champion, looks back on his big win with fondness and is anxiously awaiting this coming Saturday.
“Back in my day, it was a top V8 class. I was running in a little ol’ 6-cylinder. I was supposed to get lapped, especially in the big race, but it didn’t turn out that way,” he said with a little chuckle. “I had the right set-up, and my little ol’ 6-cylinder left the field.”
Moore was running a 320 Chevrolet, little block big motor. He says everything hit “just right” that day. His number 12 machine was sporting a set of tires he usually wouldn’t have ran, but the track was “just right” for them. The combination, he added, was “like magic.” He beat out another 10 or 12 contenders for the spot in Victory Lane.
When asked how he feels today about being the first-ever Pine Tree 100 winner, he said, “It’s a great feeling. I guess in any sport, if you can win—it’s a great feeling.”
Still, when pointed out to him, 52 years ago doesn’t seem right. “Lord have mercy! I was just thinking about that race, winning it, the other day. It doesn’t feel like that long ago. I don’t feel that old!”
He was either 35- or 36-years-old at the time. Now at 88, he’s been to most every one of the Pine Tree Festival 100 races since.
The Hawkinsville native has every intention of being at Swainsboro Raceway one more time this weekend, Lord willing.
“I want to thank the owners and operators for such a big race,” Moore said. “It’s always had a real good turnout, and it means a lot to the racing community to have an event run so long. I’m thankful for the number of times I’ve been able to go back for the Pine Tree race. If the Good Lord lets me, you’ll see me there in just a few days.”