Greenville-Pickens Speedway, closing a chapter of NASCAR history.

Over the last few months, the racing world and local news in Upstate South Carolina have been buzzing with updates about the future of Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Recently, Upstate Business Journal published the announcement from RealtyLink regarding the historic speedway’s redevelopment into an industrial park. Phase 1 will involve an initial investment of $100 million and more than 1 million square feet of prime industrial space for Pickens County. Once complete, the industrial park will span 600 acres with the potential for 4 million square feet of Class-A industrial space.

As a resident of Pickens County, I know this will have a huge economic impact on our community. Liquid Floors’ operations facility is located about 15 minutes away from the new industrial development. The industrial manufacturing facilities that will call Speedway Business & Technology Park home are ideal clients for polished concrete and epoxy coatings. These facilities will likely benefit from nearly every specialty finish Liquid Floors provides. As a sales representative, I should be thrilled about the potentially massive customer base right in our backyard. Sadly, I’m not. I can only wish it were being built anywhere else. While I’m genuinely happy for the Upstate and the jobs the industrial park will bring, I wish it didn’t come at the cost of losing the track.

Greenville-Pickens Speedway opened in 1940 as a half-mile dirt track. The following year, all tracks in the United States were closed due to World War II. The track reopened in 1946 with the first race promoted by Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR. The car race was the third event of the day, following two horse races. NASCAR officially began racing at the track in 1951 and continued until 1971. That year, Greenville-Pickens Speedway became the first NASCAR race to be televised from start to finish on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. With television becoming a cornerstone of NASCAR’s future, smaller tracks like Greenville-Pickens were gradually removed from the racing schedule. Even without NASCAR, the track thrived for decades. Busch/Xfinity Series races and practice sessions for NASCAR teams continued for many years. As a high school student in the late ’90s, I saw Dale Earnhardt and many other legendary drivers practice there.

Many clients associate us with aviation flooring and our annual connection to the NBAA. However, Liquid Floors has also maintained close relationships with many top NASCAR teams over the years. We’ve worked with Joe Gibbs Racing, Yates Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, and most recently 23XI. Much like our aviation clients, these teams depend on clean, well-lit work environments to succeed. Their facilities are world-class, with manufacturing conditions second to none.

Resinous coatings improve light reflectivity and overall aesthetics in these shops. While fluid and oil spills are rare, they do happen, and chemical-resistant urethanes help protect concrete from staining and allow for quick clean-up. Our services also extend beyond race shops into other parts of these sprawling campuses. We’ve installed decorative quartz flooring in break areas and locker rooms, and cementitious urethane in food prep areas and team commercial kitchens. Many lobbies and team museums feature polished concrete or decorative metallic flooring. These finishes create a strong impression for sponsors and corporate visitors alike. Being able to offer multiple flooring options to design teams has been a major factor in our continued success. We value these clients and love bringing their vision to life.

NASCAR has a deep-rooted history in the South and is followed by fans worldwide. Our small role in helping these teams maintain safe working environments has always been a privilege. Getting to know shop managers, owners, and even a few drivers makes watching the races on Sundays that much more exciting. It’s amazing how many hours and dedicated team members it takes to get those cars to the checkered flag. The drivers may get the glory, but NASCAR is truly a team effort like no other.