South Carolina

From the travels and adventures of the “World’s #1 Trackchaser”

All-Time Favorite South Carolina Track:

Darlington International Speedway – Darlington

Current lifetime trackchasing state rank:  7

Best Memories:

South Carolina is a lot like West Virginia for me. It seems as if I just never get down to SC all that often and there are very few new trackchasing opportunities. I guess that comes from nearly a zero presence of county fair or figure 8 racing down here.

I did make it down to Darlington for a weekend of NASCAR racing back in ’92. Robert Pressley won on Saturday and Bill Elliott on Sunday. What was I impressed with most? The auto racing museum at Darlington was great! I need to get back to Darlington just like I need to get back to Thunder Road up in Vermont.

I’ve seen a lot of good go-kart racing in the Palmetto State. The 98/35 Moree’s Paradise Speedway not only had an unusual name with a red dirt track but some excellent racing with more than 30 karts in some classes. Kart racing at the Low County Kartway and the Mileback Speedway was good. The Anderson Motor Speedway had one of the very best short track press boxes I’ve seen.

I went trackchasing at the Cherokee Speedway in 1985. Cherokee will always be remembered by their, “No women in the pits” sign. What were they thinking? I was at opening night for the Dillon Speedway after it had been closed for years. I found out about the racing at the Foothills Speedway just three hours before I went there.

The Greenville-Pickens Speedway (above) is a historic track that opened in 1940. The Hemi Speedway was one of the most rural tracks I’ve ever seen. I saw a sprint car fly “out of the part” at the Laurens County Speedway. They don’t have much sprint car racing in this part of the world.

I don’t buy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches often at the tracks I visit but I did at the Modoc Speedway. I was the race’s Grand Marshall at the Possum Kingdom Super Speedway in Belton. Just sayin’. At the Sumter Rebel Speedway, I could stand within two feet of the track as they raced. There were nearly 400 kart racing teams when I came to the Thunder Valley Motorplex in Neeses. Finally, the Westminster Speedway was WAY down-home.

If you see a track link in the above list simply click on it to be transferred to my Trackchaser Report. Here you will be able to read about my adventure at this particular track. Not only will you learn about my time at the track but you’ll hear about all of the interesting people, places and things I encountered during the entire trip, coming and going, to that speedway. Most of my Trackchaser Reports will also include a photo album and YouTube video. Check it all out. Don’t be afraid to use the “search” box in the upper right corner of my website’s home page. Just type in the track name or whatever and you’ll be directed to the place you want to be.

Below is a key to surface types and track configurations so you can understand the above list just a little bit easier.

Surface types:  D-dirt; P-paved; M-mixed

Configuration types:  O-oval; RC-road course; F8-figure 8 track