Greenville-Pickens Speedway

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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, USA, 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

  • 1951 Bob Flock[3] (this event was actually held at the Air Base Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina; not at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway as previously reported)[4]
  • 1955 Tim Flock
  • 1956 Buck Baker
  • 1958 Jack Smith
  • 1959 Junior Johnson
  • 1959 Buck Baker
  • 1960 Ned Jarrett (Greenville 200)
  • 1961 Emanuel Zervakis (Greenville 200)
  • 1961 Jack Smith (Pickens 200)
  • 1961 Junior Johnson
  • 1962 Ned Jarrett (Greenville 200)
  • 1962 Richard Petty (Pickens 200)
  • 1963 Buck Baker (Greenville 200)
  • 1963 Richard Petty (Pickens 200)
  • 1964 David Pearson (Greenville 200)
  • 1964 LeeRoy Yarbrough (Pickens 200)
  • 1965 Dick Hutcherson (Greenville 200)
  • 1965 Dick Hutcherson (Pickens 200)
  • 1966 David Pearson (Greenville 200)
  • 1966 David Pearson (Pickens 200)
  • 1967 David Pearson (Greenville 200)
  • 1967 Richard Petty (Pickens 200)
  • 1968 Richard Petty (Greenville 200)
  • 1968 Richard Petty (Pickens 200)
  • 1969 Bobby Isaac (Greenville 200)
  • 1969 Bobby Isaac (Pickens 200)
  • 1970 Bobby Isaac (Greenville 200 - First NASCAR race after track was paved)
  • 1971 Bobby Isaac (Greenville 200) - Televised on ABC in prime-time by Jim McKay and Chris Economaki.
  • 1971 Richard Petty (Pickens 200)

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.

  • 1957 Grady Hawkins (1)[5]
  • 1958 Elmo Henderson (1)
  • 1959 David Pearson (1)
  • 1960 Floyd Powell (1)
  • 1961 Floyd Powell (2)
  • 1962 Floyd Powell (3)
  • 1963 Dub Nelson (1)
  • 1964 Jeff Hawkins (1)
  • 1965 Ralph Earnhardt (1)
  • 1966 Ralph Earnhardt (2)
  • 1967 Jeff Hawkins (2)
  • 1968 Jeff Hawkins (3)
  • 1969 Jeff Hawkins (4)
  • 1970 Jeff Hawkins (5) First track champion on pavement
  • 1971 Johnny Allen (1)
  • 1972 Butch Lindley (1)
  • 1973 Don Miller (1)
  • 1974 Don Miller (2)
  • 1975 Bob Jarvis (1)
  • 1976 Don Sprouse (1)
  • 1977 Buddy Howard (1)
  • 1978 Buddy Howard (2)
  • 1979 Buddy Howard (3)
  • 1980 Buddy Howard (4)
  • 1981 Donnie Bishop (1)
  • 1982 Gene Morgan (1)
  • 1983 Donnie Bishop (2)
  • 1984 Donnie Bishop (3)
  • 1985 Roy Chatham (1)
  • 1986 Donnie Bishop (4)
  • 1987 Larry Hines (1)
  • 1988 Robert Pressley (1)
  • 1989 Larry Ogle (1)
  • 1990 Marty Ward (1)
  • 1991 Marty Ward (2)
  • 1992 Donnie Bishop (5)
  • 1993 Randy Porter (1)
  • 1994 Donnie Bishop (6)
  • 1995 Mardy Lindley (1)
  • 1996 Steve Howard (1)
  • 1997 Dexter Canipe (1) (NASCAR Weekly Series National Champion)
  • 1998 Pete Silva (1)
  • 1999 Dennis Southerlin (1)
  • 2000 Gene Morgan (2)
  • 2001 Pete Silva (2)
  • 2002 Marty Ward (3)
  • 2003 Marty Ward (4)
  • 2004 Kenneth Headen (1)
  • 2005 Blair Addis (1)
  • 2006 Randy Porter (2)
  • 2007 David Roberts (1)
  • 2008 Marty Ward (5)
  • 2009 Roger Powell (1)
  • 2010 Marty Ward (6)
  • 2011 Randy Porter (3)
  • 2012 Toby Porter (1)
  • 2013 Anthony Anders (1)
  • 2014 Anthony Anders (2) (NASCAR Weekly Series National Champion)
  • 2015 David Roberts (2)

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. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 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. ↑ 3.0 3.1 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. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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