PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – The Greenville-Pickens Speedway started as a dirt track in 1940. Some refer to it now as half a mile of history, but the legendary speedway off Calhoun Memorial Highway is now up for sale.

“It has been a home away from home for me,” Late Model racer and 2022 Champion Magnum Tate said. “I have been coming here my whole life watching my dad race. My mom raced too, then when she got pregnant, she stopped. When I turned 14 that’s when I started racing late models and it’s been ever since.”

‘It’s a really good family atmosphere,” Super Stock racer, Tim Sams said. “I took my kids out there and my son races now so it’s kind of a generational thing. Greenville is our home track. It has a lot of history. I am really proud that I raced there and had a lot of success there.”

Kevin Whitaker is the current owner who bought the property in 2003.

The Speedway is listed at 305 acres, a selling price is not yet listed.

Racers have expressed concerns with speculation the track could be turned into an industrial park.

A real estate listing and brochure for the race track property shows possible redevelopment plans for “Speedway Industrial Park” which include multiple large warehouses.

“An industrial park is not what needs to happen,” said Jason McDowell, racer and owner of Lindsey’s Ring and Pinion & J-Mac Fab. “That track has been here 80 years as a race track. I wish a promoter would buy it.”

“There’s enough places to build houses and shopping malls around here,” Sams said. “We don’t need anything like that. You can go a couple miles up the road to Easley and buy anything you want or go the other way to Greenville a couple miles.”

While racers said they’re heartbroken, now they’re wondering where to race.

“Besides Anderson, you have Florence and Hickory but the closest track besides Anderson is two hours,” McDowell said. “The local guys, unless you’re dirt racing, don’t have anywhere to take their cars that they were running at Greenville. The rules at Anderson speedway are totally different. A lot of guys have cars sitting in shops that they are trying to sell to guys in Hickory because they run a weekly show.”

The future of the Greenville-Pickens Speedway has not yet been fully determined. As we work to learn more, make sure to stay here with 7NEWS.