The Greenville Pickens Speedway located in Easley, South Carolina seemed poised for salvation, much in the same way of the recent North Wilkesboro revival but recent news has revealed a set back despite the efforts of the Save the Speedway folks.
The asphalt track, billed as the second oldest NASCAR track in the nation, has been campaigning to save the historic track through the advocacy of legendary racers, entertainers and fans in order to preserve the historic location and keep it going for racing, but those efforts unfortunately have fallen short for it this year.
Built in 1940 as a dirt track, it was converted to asphalt in 1970 and hosted numerous NASCAR battles, the winners of whom adorned the walls of the track. But times are tough for local tracks and this May, the funds to kick off the race season in May failed to materialize. The track and land, owned by Kevin Whitaker, is slated to become an industrial park. However, the owner was willing to lease it to Jackie Manley, a local racer and fan with strong ties to the track, for the 2023 racing season. NASCAR, recognizing the value of the track, was also willing to allow for double points race nights in order to get the NASCAR sanctioning designation.
Racers and sponsors stepped in, donating to the cause through a GoFundMe, and at the beginning of June, the Save the Speedway organization signed on to offer support and guidance. Unfortunately, the dream failed to come to fruition. In a statement announced June 28 on the official Facebook page, “our fight to salvage a 2023 racing season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway has unfortunately come to an end.”
The lease offered to Manley failed to support the goals of racing and restoration, and both Manley’s legal team and the SOS folks advised against signing it, making it officially too late to host a NASCAR season.
The statement ended with a note of hope: “The good news here is that our longterm goal remains the same – and that, of course, is to Save Our Speedway: The Legendary Greenville-Pickens Speedway into the future. The Save The Speedway team from North Wilkesboro also remains committed to helping us in our fight to keep the track alive. If the potential sale of the property goes through, we look forward to working with new ownership to attempt to preserve and revive the racetrack. Stay tuned here for further developments.”
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