The future of the Greenville Pickens Speedway may have appeared uncertain lately. However, a new development confirms the historic NASCAR track won’t face the wrecking ball just yet, at least for now.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is no stranger to rallying for the preservation of iconic race tracks. In 2019, he kicked off the revival of the North Wilkesboro Speedway by famously showing up with a group of people carrying farm equipment.

And once again he's at the rescue of another iconic track. Responding to a tweet by Frontstretch on the future of the GP Speedway, Junior said, “If GP Speedway can survive, the CARS Tour will be first in line to return, and I'll be the first entry.”

Opened in 1946, the Greenville Pickens Speedway was originally a dirt track that often doubled as a horse track and a speedway. However, the track has been dormant since 2022.

A local real estate firm has been constructing warehouses and manufacturing plants in its surrounding areas. The eventual plan was to demolish the track for an industrial site with a gas station-cum-restaurant complex.

With the kind of nostalgic value the track holds, the local community protested in front of the Pickens County Planning Commission, which has denied plans to demolish the track, citing two reasons.

The planning commission said that the traffic study submitted by the developers did not meet their full requirements. They also questioned whether the proposed development aligns with the long-term plan for the County.

While this development has indeed brought on a temporary sigh of relief for the local community, it may not last that long, as the developer can still reapply after a period of two months.

Of course, until the next hearing, which is set to take place in May, there isn’t much that can be done, and the future of the GP Speedway remains uncertain.

However, if the developers fail to provide studies aligning with the County’s long-term vision, fans will certainly be eager to see Dale Jr. in a late model race after all.

An Unexpected Ray Of Hope?

Among those present at the hearing was Jackie Manley, who is close to a deal with the developers, which is worth nearly USD 4 million. This is just for the purchase of the track, and more would be needed for a proper clean-up and restoration.

While speaking to Frontstretch, he said, “Just bring it back like the old days,” Manley said of his goal for the speedway. “All the people are there, and the kids can enjoy it. That’s what it’s about. That’s how the sport grows. Get it back to what it was in the heyday.”

With NASCAR having returned to abandoned tracks such as Rockingham and North Wilkesboro, one must understand a key point here that abandoning your core fanbase is always harmful.

While NASCAR had hoped to bring in new audiences by moving to areas such as Chicago, Mexico, and Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Xfinity Series’ return to Rockingham had the second-highest viewership for an Xfinity event at the track, and also resulted in a fully sold-out show.

In a conversation about the changes taking place in F1, mirroring the early-2000s crisis of NASCAR, Matt Martin, the son of NASCAR veteran Mark Martin, said, “F1 should probably take a look at what happened to NASCAR over the past 20 years, about what can happen to you when you alienate your core fan base.

You gotta be really careful doing that. There’s nothing wrong in trying to get new fans, but if you alienate your core, you lose your soul. They gotta be careful with that.”

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi