Dawsonville sits about 45 minutes southeast of Ellijay, and its racing museum describes it as the birthplace of stock car racing. That claim grows out of a long history with moonshine, and it is told in detail at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame on the edge of town.

Moonshine in the mountains

The New Georgia Encyclopedia describes Dawson County as an active center for making and hauling moonshine during and after Prohibition in the 1920s and early 1930s. According to the encyclopedia, Dawson County moonshiners ran millions of gallons of whiskey into Atlanta, and nearby mountain counties, including Gilmer, Lumpkin and Pickens, became major producers in the 1930s and 1940s.

Getting whiskey to market meant outrunning federal agents, the “revenuers.” Drivers souped up ordinary cars, most often 1940 Fords, according to the encyclopedia. The chases were dangerous and often deadly. Out of those powerful cars and high-speed runs, the encyclopedia says, grew the sport now known as stock car racing.

From back roads to NASCAR

Two names from that era sit at the center of the Hall of Fame’s story. Raymond Parks of Dawsonville owned the car that Red Byron drove to the championship of the newly formed NASCAR series in 1948, and the museum says the team won again in 1949. Both men are in the Hall of Fame.

Decades later, Dawsonville produced NASCAR’s best-known Georgia racing family. The museum’s Elliott Family Room covers George Elliott, who started out with a love of fast Fords and built what the hall calls the first family of Georgia racing, with sons and grandsons working as drivers and mechanics. It features driver Bill Elliott and engine builder Ernie Elliott, and a separate exhibit follows Bill’s son, Chase Elliott.

The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame, established in 2002 and also known as the Dawsonville History Museum, is a nonprofit run largely by volunteers. Its museum tour lists more than 20 stops, including:

  • A replica of Red Byron’s 1948 car
  • Gober Sosebee’s Daytona 500-winning Ford
  • The Hemphill Service Station, tied to Raymond Parks
  • The Stock Car History Theater, which tells the story of moonshiners and revenuers racing on dirt mountain roads
  • Bill Elliott’s first NASCAR Cup Series winning car, from Riverside, California, in November 1983
  • The 1985 “Million Dollar” engine Ernie Elliott built for Bill Elliott’s Coors Ford Thunderbird
  • A pit crew truck where children can try a mock tire change
  • Thunder Road racing simulators, which the hall also runs (check its site for details)

Visiting

  • Hours: Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Doors lock at 4:30 p.m. Closed holidays.
  • Admission: adults (15 to 54) $15; seniors 60 and older and military $10; youth 7 to 14 $5; children under 6 free. Dawson County residents get in free with proof of residence on normal days.
  • Accessibility: the hall says the building is all on one level with a step-free entrance, and wheelchairs can be borrowed at guest services.
  • Rules: service animals are welcome. No food or drink in the galleries; bottled water is allowed.
  • Address: 415 GA-53 E, Dawsonville (706-216-7223)

Visitors under 16 must be with an adult.

The Moonshine Festival

Dawson County has held an annual Moonshine Festival every year since 1966, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. It takes place in October. For 2026 the Hall of Fame listed a holiday market and silent auction during the festival, Oct. 23 to 25. Check the Dawsonville tourism and Hall of Fame sites each year for dates.

Make a day of it

Dawsonville is about 45 minutes from Ellijay by way of Jasper and GA-53. In the fall, pair the Hall of Fame with Burt’s Pumpkin Farm, which sits beside Amicalola Falls. Dahlonega is also close, and the drive back through Jasper passes through Georgia marble country.

Heading on to Dahlonega? Our Dahlonega day trip from Atlanta has the route, parking and a one-day plan.

Sources and further reading

Facts in this article were checked against these sources on October 30, 2026. Hours, fees and seasons change, so confirm before you go.