In 1970 , the second annual Atlanta International Pop Festival was held in a soybean field adjacent to the track . Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers Band performed in front of 300,000 concertgoers ; the town had a population of about 2,000 . Seven years later , it was the location for filming of race scenes of the Richard Pryor film '' Greased Lightning '' about Wendell Scott . A few years ago , it was purchased with the goal of converting it to a land development site . After the economy crashed , plans were placed on hold . On September 15 , 2012 , an official Georgia Historical Society marker was placed near the raceway to commemorate the 1970 pop festival
Atlanta International Pop Festival
Atlanta International Pop Festival (1970)
Middle Georgia Raceway