Ever since the talks about redevelopment around Greenville-Pickens Speedway surfaced, there has been immense resistance, both from fans and racing experts. Together, they allied to protest against the plan to demolish the historical track to make way for an industrial park. Joining them was a renowned racing driver from South Carolina, who added her voice to the protest.

Prolific racer from South Carolina protests against demolition

In a recent interview with Frontstretch, Tasha Porter Kummer, who was the first woman to win a Late Model race at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway, shed light on how the track is very dear to her. This was the track where she grew up racing and almost won a title, the Southeast Limited Late Model Series championship.

“I have raced at Greenville-Pickens my whole life. My whole family’s been out there; my brother’s on the wall, my nephew’s on the wall, and I grew up out there. It’s family. So yeah, I definitely don’t want it torn down; I’ve raced out there for years. I’ve been so close to winning a championship, so I wanted my name on the wall too. So, not even possibly getting that opportunity is just devastating,” Kummer said.

Following this, Kummer, a resident of South Carolina, urged investors to come forward to give the track a new facelift and make it a business success. Besides this, she also said to have a blueprint to develop the racetrack in such a way that will benefit both the county and the racing fans by keeping the history intact.

“We really, honestly need some investors, a group that is willing to invest in Greenville-Pickens Speedway. And I know that it can be a huge success. I’ve had business plans drawn up showing how successful it is, so I know that it would be great for the county. We just really need some investors to come forward to help us out on that. We also need more people to get involved, to be louder, to contact their politicians in their county, and to say that what’s going on is not right,” she further added.

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As per reports, she has tried to find a buyer for the track, especially within the NASCAR fraternity, and received around $3 million for it. The Greenville-Pickens is the second-oldest NASCAR-sanctioned track in the United States, a venue from where the first race was aired on television back in 1971, and this indeed makes it historically significant.

Despite this nothing has materialized so far on Tasha Kummer’s end. Besides Kummer, numerous fans and people from the community have taken to social media to protest against it. One among them was Brandon Langston, who wrote on Facebook:

“The Historic Speedway can still exist as a racetrack even if it doesn’t reopen as an active track. SHOW UP AND SPEAK AGAINST THE DEVELOPER THAT HATES THE RACETRACK!”

In another Facebook post, The Real Historic Greenville Pickens Speedway wrote:

“The problem is the Pickens County council hasn’t ever had to do this before and hasn’t been pushed ENOUGH to take the initiative to contact other counties with experience in the matter.”

Notably, SC Speedway Hwy, LLC, is reported to be the developer behind the industrial park development. Per reports, the developers are seeking to demolish the Greenville-Pickens Speedway to redevelop a 376,380 square-foot industrial building, retail, gas station, and restaurant complex.

However, per recent updates, the developers have failed to provide adequate information regarding the road and traffic improvements, which halted the proceedings temporarily. Getting the green signal for the demolition would erase all the racing history altogether, against which, a renowned media face, Matthew Dillner, protested.

Racing expert blasts developer and government amid historical track demolition row

Matthew Dillner, senior producer at FloRacing, delivered a stern criticism of the developers and government, while uncovering “lies” regarding the plans surrounding the track. Taking to his official X account, Dillner wrote,

“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.”

The Greenville-Pickens Speedway track has deep ties with drivers like Ralph Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt, Johnny Allen, and David Pearson, among many others, who raced here. All of these make it a venue with immense historical importance, especially for racing fans in the United States.