Race Tracks in South Carolina
South Carolina's motorsport heritage runs deepest at Darlington Raceway, the egg-shaped 'Lady in Black' that opened in 1950 and still hosts the NASCAR Cup Series' Southern 500 each Labor Day weekend. Carolina Motorsports Park near Kershaw is the state's only permanent road course, a popular SCCA and NASA club-racing venue. Weekly short-track racing is spread across the Upstate and Midlands, including paved ovals at Anderson Motor Speedway, Florence Motor Speedway, Lancaster Speedway and Sumter Speedway, and dirt ovals at Cherokee Speedway, Foothills Speedway, Mid Carolina Speedway and Laurens County Speedway. Drag racing runs from Greer Dragway and the South Carolina Motorplex near Orangeburg to smaller strips like Carolina Dragway and Darlington International Dragway. Several once-major tracks have closed in the past two decades, most notably Myrtle Beach Speedway in 2020 and Greenville-Pickens Speedway in 2023, both later cited by owners as land-value or redevelopment decisions rather than a lack of racing demand.
20 venues listed across 6 categories. Venues with a full RaceTrackWorld guide are linked.
Road courses in South Carolina
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Motorsports Park | Kershaw | 2.279 mi | South Carolina's only permanent road course, a 14-turn, 2.28-mile circuit used heavily for SCCA and NASA club racing, HPDE days and driving schools. |
Ovals and speedways in South Carolina
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington Raceway | Darlington | 1.366 mi | The 'Lady in Black,' NASCAR's first purpose-built superspeedway (1950), a distinctively egg-shaped oval that hosts the Southern 500 every Labor Day weekend. |
| Anderson Motor Speedway | Anderson | 0.375 mi | 3/8-mile paved short track under new ownership since 2024, running Limited Late Models, Legend Cars and CARS Tour and SMART Modified events. |
| Florence Motor Speedway | Timmonsville | — | Paved short oval that became the Pee Dee region's main weekly track after Myrtle Beach Speedway closed in 2020 and racing relocated here. |
| Lancaster Speedway | Lancaster | — | Paved oval in the South Carolina-North Carolina border area running a weekly grassroots stock car program. |
| Sumter Speedway | Sumter | — | Midlands-area paved short track running weekly local racing classes. |
Dirt tracks in South Carolina
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee Speedway | Gaffney | 0.375 mi | 3/8-mile dirt oval in the Upstate that has hosted World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series touring events. |
| Foothills Speedway | Easley | — | Upstate dirt oval running a weekly local late-model and support-class program. |
| Mid Carolina Speedway | Neeses | — | Midlands dirt oval near Orangeburg running weekly grassroots stock car racing. |
| Laurens County Speedway | Laurens | — | Upstate dirt oval running a local weekly racing season. |
Drag strips in South Carolina
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greer Dragway | Greer | — | Upstate drag strip near Greenville-Spartanburg running weekly test-and-tune and bracket racing. |
| South Carolina Motorplex | Orangeburg | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile strip formerly known as Orangeburg Dragstrip, running IHRA-style bracket and grudge racing. |
| Carolina Dragway | Jackson | 0.25 mi | Quarter-mile asphalt drag strip serving the Aiken-Augusta area. |
| Darlington International Dragway | Hartsville | — | Pee Dee-area drag strip near Darlington running local test-and-tune and bracket events. |
Karting in South Carolina
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Kartway | Loris | — | Dirt kart oval in the Grand Strand area running organized outlaw kart club racing. |
Closed and historic in South Carolina
| Venue | Town | Length | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Beach SpeedwayClosed | Myrtle Beach | 0.538 mi | Paved oval (opened 1958 as dirt track Rambi Raceway) that hosted NASCAR Cup and Busch Series races through 2000; closed permanently in August 2020 after sale to a land developer, with racing relocating to Florence Motor Speedway. |
| Greenville-Pickens SpeedwayClosed | Easley | 0.5 mi | Half-mile paved oval that hosted NASCAR Cup races from 1955-1971 and later NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and CARS Tour events; gone inactive since 2023 amid a pending industrial-park redevelopment of the site. |
| Columbia SpeedwayClosed | Cayce | — | Dirt (later paved) oval that hosted NASCAR Grand National races from 1951-1971, including two of the series' last dirt-track events in 1970; closed to regular racing, with periodic historic festival events since 2009. |
| Piedmont Interstate FairgroundsClosed | Spartanburg | 0.5 mi | Half-mile dirt oval that hosted NASCAR Grand National races from 1953-1966 under promoter Joe Littlejohn, one of NASCAR's founding figures; no longer holds a regular racing schedule. |
| Air Base SpeedwayClosed | Greenville | 0.5 mi | Half-mile and quarter-mile dirt ovals near the former Donaldson Air Force Base that hosted a single NASCAR Grand National race in 1951 before closing around 1952; the site is now built over. |
Race tracks near the big cities in South Carolina
Near Columbia
- Carolina Motorsports Park · about 35 min
- Sumter Speedway · about 45 min
- Mid Carolina Speedway · about 50 min
- South Carolina Motorplex · about 55 min
Near Greenville-Spartanburg
- Foothills Speedway · about 25 min
- Greer Dragway · about 20 min
- Cherokee Speedway · about 40 min
- Anderson Motor Speedway · about 35 min
Near Myrtle Beach
- Florence Motor Speedway · about 55 min
- Southern Kartway · about 40 min
Near Florence
- Florence Motor Speedway · about 15 min
- Darlington Raceway · about 20 min
- Darlington International Dragway · about 20 min
Major race weekends in South Carolina
| Event | Venue | When | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook Out Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | September | NASCAR Cup Series |
| Goodyear 400 | Darlington Raceway | April | NASCAR Cup Series |
Track days and driving experiences in South Carolina
Carolina Motorsports Park near Kershaw is South Carolina's main hub for track days, hosting SCCA regions, NASA and marque clubs for HPDE, time-trial and wheel-to-wheel club racing weekends nearly year-round. Drivers without a car ready for the road course can also get seat time at the state's drag strips through weekly test-and-tune nights. Expect roughly $200-$450 for a single HPDE or time-trial day at CMP depending on run group, plus SCCA/NASA membership and licensing fees for club racing.
Frequently asked questions
Does this guide include horse racing tracks?+
No. This page covers motorsport venues only. South Carolina's Thoroughbred and steeplechase facilities are not included here.
What is South Carolina's biggest race?+
The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway each Labor Day weekend is the state's marquee event, one of NASCAR's oldest and most prestigious races.
Can I drive my own car on track in South Carolina?+
Yes. Carolina Motorsports Park near Kershaw is the state's only permanent road course and hosts SCCA and NASA open track days and club racing throughout the year.
Are Myrtle Beach Speedway and Greenville-Pickens Speedway still open?+
No. Both have closed: Myrtle Beach Speedway shut down permanently in 2020 after a sale to a land developer, and Greenville-Pickens Speedway has been inactive since 2023 pending redevelopment of its site.
Where did racing move after Myrtle Beach Speedway closed?+
Florence Motor Speedway in Timmonsville became the Pee Dee area's main weekly short track after Myrtle Beach Speedway's 2020 closure.
Where can I watch dirt track racing in South Carolina?+
Cherokee Speedway, Foothills Speedway, Mid Carolina Speedway and Laurens County Speedway all run regular dirt-oval seasons around the state.
Venue list checked against 15 sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.
South Carolina track guides on RaceTrackWorld
Carolina Motorsports Park
Address: PO Box 366, Kershaw SC 29067 USA Website: http://www.carolinamotorsportspark.com Email: [email protected] Phone Number: (+1) 803 475 2448 ...
Darlington Raceway
Address: 1301 Harry Byrd Hwy Darlington SC, 29532 USA Website: https://www.darlingtonraceway.com/ Phone Number: (+1) 843-395-8900 Hotels Near Darli...