Page 93 - ION Indie Magazine SeptOct 2019 Issue

Pictured left to right:
Dink McKeehan and
Gary West

It was a beautiful June day at Lavonia Speedway in Lavonia, Georgia…and it was also time to tear up the dirt track.
I was invited (along with Managing Editor/Senior Photojournalist JB Bridges) to be immersed in the full racing
experience. We had the unique opportunity to hang out with country star Gary West – the featured artist from our
July/August 2019 edition of ION Indie Magazine -- and be a part of the “up close and personal” action as West raced
a 602 Open Wheel Modified car, owned by Dink McKeehan (DinkGoneWild). Also on hand was Cole McKeehan,
young racing prodigy – who assaulted the Georgia clay with his own car, another McKeehan quality racing machine.
Since my day at Lavonia Speedwary, the McKeehan’s have been setting the tracks on fire in Georgia. On July 17,
both Cole and Dink took top honors at Lavonia, making Cole the youngest winner ever at that track, and on July
th
28 , the father and son followed that victory up with another double-win at Winder Barrow Speedway.

On the music-side, when asked for an update on his flourishing country career, West shared that he will soon be
releasing his next video, featuring his masterful reimaging of another beloved Johnny Cash song, “One Piece at A
Time.” I have no doubt that West’s choice to remake this particular song was not only to pay tribute to Cash with
West’s spot-on abilities to capture the legend’s unmistakable sound, but also, the song-choice honors West’s own
lifelong love of cars – as West has enjoyed a history of action-packed racing himself. And as I stood next to him and
the colorful car that was so expertly crafted for West by Dink McKeehan, the pride in West’s eyes was clearly evident
as he shared insight into the machine he’d be commandeering. His face lit up like a tot on Christmas morning and
he became visibly animated as he explained the features of a 602 Open Wheel Modified.