There has been yet another concerning development behind the scenes in NASCAR. Recently, it has transpired that another classic NASCAR track may be lost. It turns out that the Greenville Pickens Speedway owners are putting the track up for sale. Once the sale is finalized, the track will be broken down and turned into an industrial park.
The track is as important as it is memorable because it was host to the first live-televised start-to-finish NASCAR race in 1971. This happened barely a year after the track got paved. As per reports, 305 acres of land and a 100,000-square-foot-sized building will go under the hammer, though an asking price has not been made public yet. The area is located at Calhoun Memorial Highway in Easley.
READ MORE: Defending Champion Joey Logano Reflects on “Broken System” of Drivers Paying for Their Seats
Since 1940, the speedway had been a dirt track, and drivers like Richard Petty and David Pearson had reached the victory lane there. However, in 2003, auto dealer Kevin Whitaker bought the speedway and later leased it to a former racer, Anthony Anders.
NASCAR fans were not pleased with this development
Obviously, the move sparked a wave of outrage as yet another classic track will now be lost. Some people acknowledged that the quality of racing was something left to be desired. However, they insisted that the track needed to stay and get some tender care. Even when races used to be held there, the grids had been rapidly shrinking year by year. One fan observed that during one Late Model race, the purse was $10,000 but there were barely 15 cars on the track.
While the racing hasn’t been to great the last few years. This place definitely needs to stay. Someone needs to invest in it and make it great again.
— BKP Art (@BKPART) March 2, 2023
Unfortunately the car count scene had been suffering there for a few years. I’ve been a few times, really fun track. I remember being in middle school (im 21 now) and there was a late model race that paid $10,000 to win and they didn’t even get 15 cars to show up.
— Darrell Cates (@dwc0721) March 2, 2023
— JayBo
(@JayBoyter) March 2, 2023
Oh nooooo
— Mare Harlow (@HarlowMare) March 2, 2023
Naturally, several fans were saddened at the inevitable fate of the Greenville Picken Speedway. It is also worth mentioning that defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano once triumphed there. This was way back in 2007 when he won a Busch North race at the track.
Nooooooooo, I loved it there! So many good memories… so many good races. The one that sticks out the most was when @joeylogano won the Busch North race there back in 2007 – it was only the 2nd year we had been back. Him and Sean Caisse ran away with the show.
— Penny Aicardi
(@PennyAicardi) March 2, 2023
I spent many a night here with my dad, my kids and my best friends. This seemed inevitable as the great rivalries of the past were replaced by rich kids looking past GP to Nascar. W/O local stars and their fan bases attendance & interest just tailed off.
— Tracy Fowler (@TracyRaycefan) March 2, 2023
WE cut our teeth on these tracks, and MB Speedway! It is a crying shame to fall to the mighty dollar! Damn….
— Michael Crabtree (@Michael88907265) March 2, 2023
Really disappointing, local short track racing culture is fantastic and deserves to be preserved more than just being a memory and an industrial park, not to mention the history of this specific track
— Joe Sell (@NyanBlaney) March 2, 2023
According to some fans, this is just a consequence of more “rich kids” entering the racing scene. Owing to the absence of local stars and their fans, the interest has dwindled. One thing is for sure—people are mourning the slow, agonizing death of local short-track racing culture.
It is safe to say that no one anticipated the classic track being turned into an industrial park. Unfortunately, there is no Dale Earnhardt Jr around to save this track as he did with North Wilkesboro.
WATCH THIS STORY: Which Cars Does NASCAR’s Richest Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr Own?
The post “Sad Day Indeed”—NASCAR Fans Bemoan Loss of Another Classic NASCAR Track appeared first on EssentiallySports.
from EssentiallySports https://ift.tt/32w1rxt
via IFTTT
