Greenville-Pickens Speedway

Greenville-Pickens Speedway
Location Pickens County, near Greenville, South Carolina
Capacity over 20,000
Opened 1940
Major events Whelen Southern Modified Tour
NASCAR Grand National Division
Whelen All-American Series
NASCAR team test sessions
Oval (1946–1969)
Surface Dirt
Length 0.500 mi (0.805 km)
Lap record 70.359 mph (David Pearson, Holman Moody, 1969, NASCAR Grand National)
Oval (1969–present)
Surface asphalt
Length 0.500 mi (0.805 km)
Lap record 82.557 mph (David Pearson, Holman Moody, 1971, NASCAR Grand National)

Greenville-Pickens Speedway is a race track located in Pickens County, South Carolina, just west of Greenville, South Carolina, United States, and just east of Easley, South Carolina. The track hosts weekly NASCAR sanctioned races. Several touring series visit the track each year, including the Whelen Southern Modified Tour and the NASCAR Grand National Division. NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series teams frequently test at the track since testing is allowed only at non-current NASCAR tracks.[1] The Upper South Carolina State Fair has been held at the fairgrounds adjacent to the race track since 1964.[1]

The track held 29 races on the NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) tour between 1951 until 1971. It also hosted two NASCAR Busch Grand National (now Xfinity Series) tour races in 1983. The April 10, 1971 race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway was the first NASCAR race nationally televised from start to finish, on ABC Wide World of Sports.[1]

History

The track opened in 1940 as a half mile dirt track. It was closed the following year for World War II like all race tracks in the United States. It reopened on July 4, 1946 in a race promoted by Bill France, Sr.[1] The race the third of the day after 2 horse races. NASCAR began racing at the track in 1951. The track was paved as an asphalt track in April 1970. The last NASCAR Grand National race was held at the track in 1971,[2] when NASCAR began cutting small tracks from its schedule.[1]

The NASCAR Grand National Division's Busch North Series name was changed to Busch East Series in 2006 after the series' first Southern race, held at this track.

NASCAR race winners

Grand National

Busch Grand National

NASCAR Grand National Division, K&N East Series

^ = Flag to flag

List of late model track champions

Track officials began writing its track champions on the wall in 1971, and they went back to 1957.

Race broadcasting

Year Network Lap-by-lap Color commentator(s) pit reporter
1971 ABC's Wide World of Sports Jim McKay Chris Economaki Ken Squier

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Long history hugs racetrack's curves, March 17, 2005; Ed McGranahan; The Greenville News; Retrieved November 1, 2007
  2. ↑ Greenville Pickens Speedway; na-motorsports.com; Retrieved November 1, 2007
  3. 1 2 Track winners, racing-reference.info, Retrieved November 1, 2007
  4. ↑ NASCAR's Forgotten Race article by John Nelson & Tom Schmeh on page 12 of January 2015 SPEED SPORT magazine
  5. ↑ "Track Champions". Official Track website. 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-21.

External links

Coordinates: 34°50′0″N 82°30′1″W / 34.83333°N 82.50028°W / 34.83333; -82.50028

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