At one time in the late 1950s and early 60s, Yellow River Drag Strip was a famous race track in western Newton County. Top-match racers would bring their cars there for races against each other.
Spectators often lined the sandy, narrow strip to get a closer look at the cars. On this day, a spectator reached out to retrieve a beer can as Huston Platt prepared to deploy his parachute to slow his vehicle.
History
The Yellow River Drag Strip in Covington, Georgia, was once a famous race track. In the 1950s and ’60s, it was a simple line of pavement that ran through a valley in western Newton County. It was home to some of the best match racers of its time, including “Dyno Don” Nicholson, Malcolm Durham, Huston Platt, and Don Carlton. Fans would line the track’s shallow dirt banks, watching the cars roar past and waving wads of cash to make side bets.
On March 2, 1969, a tragic accident occurred at the Yellow River Drag Strip that has left locals with a deep sense of horror to this day. A flip-top funny car, owned and driven by Platt, was racing Frank Oglesby on the narrow, sandy strip. As Platt prepared to deploy his chutes, a spectator reached out on the track to retrieve a beer can. The man was swept up in the chute and killed instantly, while the car’s body sling-shot into the crowd, and its chassis remained on the track.
The tragedy at Yellow River was the darkest moment in the history of drag racing, and it spurred changes throughout the sport. Tracks began requiring safety measures such as guard rails, concrete barriers, and increased distance between spectators and the race cars. Spectators were no longer allowed to sit on the track during hot times, and all tracks were required to carry liability insurance.
Signage
In March of 1969, a car at the Yellow River Drag Strip went out of control and slashed a bloody path through spectators, killing 11 people and injuring 50 more. The tragedy was a wake-up call for the sport, which had turned a blind eye to safety. Georgia state legislators responded immediately, requiring tracks to have liability insurance and other requirements. Guard rails replaced chicken wire and wooden fences, and the shutdown area was moved away from the track. The track itself was eventually demolished and replaced with a road through a mobile home park.
At the time, Yellow River was one of the more popular stripes, a simple line of pavement that ran through a basin in Western Newton County. It attracted top-match racers such as “Dyno Don” Nicholson, Malcolm Durham, Huston Platt, and Don Carlton. Spectators would crowd within feet of the track and wave wads of cash as they made side bets.
In recent years, Dustin has been slowly restoring the car and hopes to compete in local eighth-mile tracks. He plans to retain the original appearance of the vehicle as much as possible but will also make it safe for competition. It will have a new engine, transmission, and chassis. The original aluminum firewall will remain intact, as well as a vintage Stewart Warner gauge cluster.
Track conditions
Spectators crowded to within a few feet of the asphalt to get a closer look at the cars as they blasted by. One of them reached out to grab a beer can on the edge of the track just as Platt deployed his parachute, and it swept him up into the car. The weight of the body against the parachute yanked the car into the spectator area, killing him instantly. Twelve people died, and 40 were injured in the worst racing disaster on American soil.
The out-of-control car cut a bloody swath through the spectators. Many were thrown over a concrete wall and into the crowd below, where they were crushed by the force of the car’s acceleration. Some were hit by the car’s front wing, which broke away from the chassis and ripped into the crowd.
At the time, Yellow River was an unsanctioned strip, and the blown nitrogen funny cars were popular crowd-pleasers. It was not uncommon for NHRA racers to bypass a sanctioning organization and pay appearance fees to compete at the strip, known as an “outlaw” track. This allowed them to avoid paying extra fees for NHRA safety precautions. However, the tragedy at Yellow River prompted a push toward stricter standards of safety for both fans and racers. Uninsured, unsanctioned tracks like Yellow River became a thing of the past.
Safety
In the 1950s and ’60s, Yellow River Drag Strip was a simple line of pavement running through a basin in western Newton County. Like most southern strips, it offered virtually no safety measures and didn’t provide spectators with any protection from the fast cars. But that didn’t stop racers and spectators from flocking to the strip on Friday and Saturday nights. Top names of the time, such as “Dyno Don” Nicholson, Malcolm Durham, Huston Platt, and Ronnie Sox, competed there.
The tragic accident at Covington’s Yellow River ended those days. The track was shut down after the crash, and it eventually became part of a mobile home community. Today, the old track is still there, but only as a road through the neighborhood.
Following the tragedy at Yellow River, lawmakers enacted sweeping changes in the way the state regulates racetracks. The new law stipulated that tracks must meet specific minimum safety standards in order to qualify for insurance. The fire commissioner is authorized to immediately suspend operations at any track that doesn’t comply with the law. The fire commissioner can also ask to enter the site to conduct inspections. In addition, the fire commissioner can require that flammable and combustible liquids be stored in safe containers. The commissioner can also impose penalties for refusing to let the fire commissioner inspect the facility.
