Greenville Pickens Speedway is an important landmark in NASCAR history. However, not only is the racetrack going through a long and gruelling battle to save itself from destruction, it is also becoming a laughing stock, as was evident in a newly surfaced video.
Greenville Pickens Speedway becomes the butt of jokes in a county meeting
In a video posted by an X account of a Pickens County meeting, the county administrator is visibly making jokes at the expense of the historic racetrack. The administrator claims that the lake should be a district overlay instead of the racetrack. The racetrack’s official account accused the administrator of being more worried about catering to Lake Keowee residents than about citizens who want to save the track.
“This has to STOP! The council shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose what they want instead of what the people want,” the post read from Greenville Pickens Speedway.
Reacting to this, Matthew Dilner, Senior Racing Producer at FloRacing, called out the joking and laughing from the administrator. “How does this make you feel? Racing is being mocked. Laughed at. This is the REAL lack of respect that the movement to protect & preserve Greenville Pickens Speedway is receiving from elected officials. The recent news is a positive step, but don’t be fooled. This is far from over,” he wrote.
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How does this make you feel?
Racing is being mocked. Laughed at. This is the REAL lack of respect that the movement to protect & preserve @GPSspeedway1 is receiving from elected officials. The recent news is a positive step but don’t be fooled. This is far from over. https://t.co/ghcTaTAPbc— Matthew Dillner (@MatthewDillner) April 9, 2026
It’s worth mentioning that recently, the Pickens City Council passed a resolution that made the NASCAR track ‘a historic site.’ The track opened in the 1940s and was notably the venue for the first-ever televised NASCAR race in 1971.
GWS has also hosted CARS Tour races as well as NASCAR-sanctioned races.
But for the past few years, it was under the threat of being demolished for corporate and commercial interests. However, the fans united and rallied to save the track from such a fate and achieved the Council’s latest resolution of ‘historic site’.
However, this resolution didn’t solve the situation completely for the historic track. The council claimed that despite the track being recognized as a historic site, it is still prone to being sold or developed.
Nevertheless, the supporters of the track believed it was a step in the right direction.
NASCAR star comments on Greenville Pickens’ tricky situation
Ahead of the Cup weekend at Las Vegas, Ryan Preece was asked about his thoughts on Greenville Pickens Speedway and whether he’d want to see it make a comeback to NASCAR Advanced Racing. Preece is notably tied to short tracks as he began his racing journey on tracks like Stafford Speedway and Thompson Speedway in Connecticut.
“For me, hopefully, there’s a new level of excitement around Greenville Pickens, and I never really raced there, so I haven’t seen the facility, but certainly whoever’s taking on that lease or promoter that’s taking on that opportunity, they work with the racers, the racers work with them, and then that brings in the fans,” he explained.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has already expressed his desire to take the CARS tour to GPS if the track is saved. The NASCAR community has been united in efforts to save the track, and while there is still a lot to be done, it is clear that steps are being taken to use it for races.
