This historic SC racetrack is on sale for $5.8M. Here’s why

The uncertain future of the beloved Greenville Pickens Speedway took another turn this week when the owner and developer of an adjacent industrial park put the racetrack property up for sale.

Asking price: $5.8 million.

John Shaw of Shaw Realty, the listing agent, said Friday he’s received a number of calls about the property in the two days since it was listed.

Much of the property around the speedway was bought or is under contract by RealtyLink, which has begun building a warehouse there, Shaw said.

The tenant is Carolina Handling, a logistics company, that will have 267,000 square feet of office and warehouse space.

RealtyLink intends to have 10 buildings and 4 million square feet of space. The racetrack site was never part of the plan.

The 83-year-old racetrack did not operate during the racing season last year, the first time since World War II that racing was dark.

Racer Jackie Manley spearheaded a fundraising campaign to operate the track but was not able to raise the $100,000 required by former owner Kevin Whitaker, an Upstate car dealer.

The group raised $60,000, which was donated to Shriners Hospital.

Manly could not be reached for comment but a Facebook post on the Real Historic Greenville Pickens Speedway page said, “For over a year people have been asking for the price of the Racetrack and if it was for sale or not. Now it is listed and is for sale. Remember, this is a list price and one can always offer a different price. There is always a little room for negotiation when real estate is involved.”

The post asked people to not be negative, but plenty of people on Facebook were doubtful it was a good investment. They decried the loss, but wondered if anyone could pull it off.

The Real speedway page said, “There are people out there that wouldn’t have a problem with this price at all. This cannot be done by just a local guy. This is going to need to be bought by someone in NASCAR or a successful businessman who may love racing. Never say never, and as long as the track is standing, there is always hope.”

Greenville Pickens Speedway opened in 1940 as a half-mile-long dirt track. When racing resumed after World War II on Independence Day, fans saw two horse races and a car race promoted by Bill France Sr., who two years later founded NASCAR.

The Blackwell family bought the track in 1955, the same year NASCAR began sanctioning races there. The track, later paved, hosted various Winston Cup races through the years.

Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and his son Dale Jr.. raced there. Many of the legendary racers’ names remain painted on the walls surrounding the track.

Shaw believes the track could offer events in addition to racing such as swap meets, concerts and car shows that would make it a more lucrative investment.