Short oval tracks that were once used to host NASCAR races are now being converted into industrial parks. The sad thing is, without racing, the majority of these tracks have to bend down to the highest bidder. This was the fate of Greenville Pickens Speedway, the very place where NASCAR’s first-ever flag-to-flag race was aired live on TV in 1971.

A track that once witnessed the rivalry of David Pearson and Richard Petty would cease to exist. However, in a surprising turn of events, there’s hope that racing can return to the iconic oval on the iconic oval of South Carolina.

Greenville-Pickens Speedway fetching a $4 million lease fee?

In a recent interview with Frontstretch, Jackie Manley, a potential buyer of the racetrack, shed light on how he came to know about it. When asked about it, he said:

“From the meeting, one of the meetings here, either this meeting or the Pickens County board. They gave their card and said anybody interested? This is what we’re going to do. So I just reached out.

Following this, he was asked about the four-million-dollar loan, which is reported to be the cost of getting the lease.

“Oh, the four million that they are asking us just to buy the upgrades. Yeah, the upgrades is after that, which is the way the community is. Behind it, I don’t see it being a problem to get it up and running. I don’t see a problem at all.”

Interestingly, this update caught Dale Jr.’s attention, and he was quick to throw his support behind the upcoming owners. “If @GPSspeedway1 can survive, the @CARSTour will be first in line to return and I’ll be the first entry.”

Notably, the Pickens County Planning Commission initially proposed to demolish the historic speedway to build an industrial park around it. The track, which was built around the 1940s, hosted NASCAR-sanctioned races, CARS Tour races, and the Upper South Carolina State Fair.

It is the second-oldest NASCAR track in the United States, and the venue from which the first race was aired back in 1971. Given the track’s history, locals and racing fans strongly opposed the demolition.

Senior producer at FloRacing, Matthew Dillner, had also tweeted how the developer “lied” about the development plans and urged saving its legacy.

However, the racetrack’s future remains undecided, and amid this, a $4 million lease surfaced. Once the sale goes through, the buyer is expected to get it involved in racing duties, but if it does not go through, chances are that the developers will reapply for the park, something the RealtyLink group put emphasis on.

Greenville-Pickens Speedway developer group inching closer to sale

RealtyLink group, the developers involved with the maintenance, repair, and selling of the Greenville-Pickens Speedway, said that they were close to finalizing a sale of the track. Speaking about this, Phil Wilson with RealtyLink said:

“We’re really close on a contract. I actually thought it would be signed before tonight, and I think I would to help kind of, planning commission, to make a better decision, or at least a better decision for us, but it didn’t happen, so we’ll pick it back up tomorrow and hopefully we’ll get the contract complete and they get what they want, and we can get what we want.”

With that said, it will be interesting to see if the historic speedway gets another owner and potentially attracts future races. As things stand, a legal process or documentation is the only thing restricting racing at this venue. And all the race fans will be hoping that this iconic oval gets another shot just like the North Wilkesboro Speedway.