Developers are seeking to demolish a historic track in South Carolina, and opponents are rallying against it. The Greenville Pickens Speedway was the site of the first race aired on national TV, from start to finish, broadcast in 1971. Now, with redevelopment plans on the table, all of this history could be erased, as an insider is calling out the lies behind the promises.
Greenville Pickens Speedway: Legacy of lies?
Senior producer at FloRacing, Matthew Dillner, took to X to uncover a legacy of lies regarding the historical track. He planned to make a trip to the track tonight to fight for the Greenville Pickens Speedway, but he said the conditions “have that trip doubtful.”
“A developer is planning on tearing the track down. Or should I say ‘the liar’ is planning to tear it down? The last time we made the trip down to Greenville, to the initial rezoning hearing, he was resolute that he had ‘no intentions to touch the track footprint’. Two years later, and his truth is revealed (as we predicted),” said Dillner in his post.
LEGACY OF LIES
We plan(ned) on making the trip from Concord, NC to Greenville, SC tonight. Last chance to fight for Greenville Pickens Speedway.. The conditions have that trip doubtful. PLEASE READ!A developer is planning on tearing the track down. Or should I say “the liar”… pic.twitter.com/RioxQKiQ84
— Matthew Dillner (@MatthewDillner) February 2, 2026
Dillner expressed his frustration about how no one will pack snacks and drinks and a blanket to sit and watch racing, and they will instead go and watch warehouses. The demolition will erase a historic landmark for selfish reasons.
“While the developer is allowed to erase this historic landmark and build a financial legacy for his own family, let us not forget the government that enabled this so our children could witness the destruction of history.”
“A true legacy of lies,” said Dillner.
Truth behind the developer
SC Speedway Hwy 124, LLC, the developer, asked for the 24-acre site to be approved for a 376,380 square-foot industrial building and an undeveloped outparcel. A 13-acre retail, gas station, restaurant complex south of the Speedway is also proposed. This would entail 111 acres of woods north of the speedway for eight buildings covering about 918,480 square feet.
Already in the area are several distribution centers with about four million square feet of space immediately surrounding the Speedway. These buildings replaced the parking area and undeveloped property where the Upper South Carolina State Fair was once held.
Speedway proponents posted information about how the site could be saved by designating it a historical landmark by the county, even if it’s not reopened. One issue is that Pickens County hasn’t dealt with this before. They have not been pushed enough to take the initiative to contact other counties with experience on the matter.
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“It’s very crucial that everyone show up to this meeting and votes NO to the destruction of The REAL Historic Greenville Pickens Speedway and the construction of an apartment complex or another building like it,” said The Real Historic Greenville Pickens Speedway in a Facebook post.
The property was owned by a car dealer, Kevin Whitaker, who has not returned any phone calls seeking comment about the track’s future or sale. He owned most of the land bought by RealtyLink as well. The new application says the owner is Ryan Whitaker.
Driver Tasha Porter Kummer, the first woman to win a Late Model race at Greenville Pickens, has tried to find a buyer, specifically within the NASCAR community. She said several offers in the $3 million range have been made for the track.
Kummer and others say the Upstate and racing would lose a piece of what makes the area and the sport special if the races at the track don’t resume. The track has lost two seasons already, but other tracks have been dark for years and reopened after.
The history of the speedway
The track, which opened in 1940 as a half-mile dirt race track, was bought by the Blackwell family in 1955, the same year NASCAR began sanctioning races there. Mark Blackwell, son of the former owner, worked with driver Jackie Manley to lease the track, although no agreement was reached.
It hosted the NASCAR Cup Series from 1955 to 1956, and then from 1958 to 1971.
David Pearson, Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, and his son Dale Jr. raced there. Many of the legendary drivers of NASCAR have their names painted on the walls surrounding the track.
The speedway ran on Saturday nights, drawing fans estimated at around 22,000 to 35,000 fans. The track was known as a family spot, so popular that people would come hours early to get a parking spot.
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