zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Take A Tour Around The Abandoned Confederate Speedway Short Track
Take A Tour Around The Abandoned Confederate Speedway Short Track-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:58

Image for article titled Take A Tour Around The Abandoned Confederate Speedway Short Track

America is littered with the remains of old race tracks from days gone by. Be they paved or dirt-coated, these speedways have been abandoned for one reason or another, and today, we’re going to take a look at Confederate Speedway in South Carolina.

Confederate Speedway was built in 1950 as a quarter-mile dirt oval that only lasted for about five years before being abandoned. There was an effort to revive it again in 1970, at which point it was given a massive overhaul that turned it into a three-fifths mile oval. It hosted stock car racing events until 1989, when a local zoning committee shut it down. Since then, there have been a handful of races in an effort to revive the Speedway, but no one has been successful, and it lies in ruins.

But the coolest part is that over on YouTube actually went out to the location to scout it out as part of his series on abandoned race tracks. It’s worth checking out the video below:

Part of what saw the track’s demise was the fact that it was a pain in the ass to get to. There’s a massively competitive short track racing scene in South Carolina that you really need an edge over everyone else to stay competitive, and having a difficult-to-reach track wasn’t the way to go.

And since it was located in a small town, S1apSh0es notes that locals reported to local papers that they hated the track. There’s a common perception that racing is always good, since it brings paying customers to local businesses. But in reality, it just clogged up the streets and prevented everyone from traveling on a Saturday evening. In the morning, the red dust kicked up from the track would be coating literally everything. It was more of a nuisance than anything else.

It’s been sitting empty since the 1990s and has been overtaken by foliage since then. There are some vague remains of things like grandstands and light poles, but it’s not anything particularly impressive—which some folks have argued is a bit of a downer, considering this is where legendary racer David Pearson got his start.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Don't Drink Generator Fuel
Don't Drink Generator Fuel
Formula E as a series tries so hard to be green, they even thought about where they source their power. Instead of hooking up to a power grid that may be fueled by coal or other less-than-savory sources of energy, they bring in generators that run off glycerol. But I...
Feb 12, 2026
Cancel Everything Because There's A Ton Of Great Racing On This Weekend
Cancel Everything Because There's A Ton Of Great Racing On This Weekend
Welcome to the Jalopnik , where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? Our own is for the weekend,...
Feb 12, 2026
The Formula E Driver Who Never Gets A FanBoost Is The One Who Deserves It The Most
The Formula E Driver Who Never Gets A FanBoost Is The One Who Deserves It The Most
FanBoost—where fans vote to give a driver an additional boost of power to use during an FIA Formula E Championship race—sets off no small amount of rage from purists who feel as if it’s a gimmick. However, drivers I’ve spoken with at this weekend’s Formula E race don’t seem to...
Feb 12, 2026
Lotus Sent An April Fools' Press Release About Race Helmets For Cats And I'll Take Three
Lotus Sent An April Fools' Press Release About Race Helmets For Cats And I'll Take Three
Alright, Lotus. Did you really think you could get away with this? Not the joke, obviously—any journalist knows a press release for April 1 is meant for trickery. But did you really think you could get away with releasing photos of cats in cute race helmets for April Fools’ Day...
Feb 12, 2026
This Car Movie Will Be The Anti-Fast And Furious
This Car Movie Will Be The Anti-Fast And Furious
Dust2Glory is no CGI-saturated bleached-toothed Hollywood “car movie.” It’s a slice of life. A life that revolves around friends, family and hauling ass through the open desert down south. And hey, the first trailer’s finally out. It’s ridiculous how many desert racing die-hards call out the 2005 Baja documentary Dust...
Feb 12, 2026
Ferrari 'Needs' To Get Into Formula E So Bad Right Now
Ferrari 'Needs' To Get Into Formula E So Bad Right Now
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne made big headlines this week after saying that Ferrari needs to get into Formula E. In true Sergio fashion, though, that came as news to the Formula E side, whose CEO Alejandro Agag told Jalopnik that the famed Italian marque hasn’t reached out to them...
Feb 12, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved