Months after winning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) National Championship, Anthony Anders is giving up racing at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Easley, South Carolina and taking over as the track promoter.
Anders reached an agreement with track owner Kevin Whitaker over the offseason to lease the half-mile racetrack for the next six years. He has already received fan feedback and is working on improving and modernizing facilities around the racetrack.
“We did improvements to the restrooms,” Anders said. We’ve completely reconstructed the bathrooms and made them up to par. We have gutted the press box. We’ve put new signage up. We’re doing a lot of maintenance in the concession stands and the stands and the tech shed. We’re just getting the racetrack to its standards to where it’s going to be a place for people to come out.
“We’ll have a lot of different activities for kids. We’re bringing it up to where it needs to be in the 90s when we had 15,000 people coming to a race. There are a lot of improvements that need to be done.”
Anders said that neither he nor his son, Brandon Fox, would be racing at the track in 2015. The track schedule has been released as have the rules – which resemble Hickory Motor Speedway’s rules.
“We have put a program together. We have reconstructed the rulebooks for all divisions. We’re close to Hickory Motor Speedway as far as rules go. We’ve got some good sponsors already on board this year. We’ll be on a two-tire deal so you can race on two tires and two scuff tires, it’s a pretty good deal. We’ve got a lot going on. I think we’re going to have a packed house. The driver’s meeting was unbelievable.”
Anders had been discussing leasing the track from Whitaker for years. He’s raced at the facility for several years and wants to return the track, once considered one of racing’s finest facilities, to its former glory.
“I wanted to become part of promoting that track whether I leased it or worked with Kevin,” Anders explained. “I know the history of Greenville-Pickens, I know it’s a really good racetrack if we can get the right promoting factors in play. Let’s race and have some fun. This racetrack used to be huge in racing and the community around here has already been unbelievable in the response seeing that things changed.
“Going from a champion to a promoter, I know I did what anybody else was supposed to do. I did it by the book. I won a track championship at Myrtle Beach and the last two at Greenville. I have some resources and understanding of what racing and what it needs to be to bring it back to what it needs to be like it was. People in the community are excited that I’ve got the track and we’re looking for some really good things.”
Throughout his championship season, some had suggested Anders was already running the track by proxy. Anders spoke out once more about the NWAAS National Championship controversy.
“In 2012, I ran for a national championship and led it up until the middle of the year, same in 2013. I did what the others did and won. Having a few other cars in the field shows what any track can to be quite frank with you.”
Anders says he’s embracing change and that, with the support of the nearby community, Greenville-Pickens Speedway will be improved for fans and drivers alike.
“It’s a very interesting deal and I’m all about change and making things better. If anybody knows me, they know whatever I do, I do it to the point of perfection in anything I do. I don’t own three businesses from zero to what they are today without the support of the community and what I give back to the community so they’re excited to see what happens with the racing world. It’s going to be better than ever.”
Greenville-Pickens Speedway is a track surrounded by history. The track hosted the first nationally televised live flag-to-flag NASCAR race back in 1971 – a 200 lap race televised on ABC. That history can be seen on the walls with the list of champions which includes Ralph Earnhardt, David Pearson, Randy Porter and more. Now, Anders is ushering in a new era at Greenville-Pickens Speedway.
Greenville-Pickens Speedway links: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Greenville-Pickens Speedway 2015 Schedule
March 7th: Late Model Stock Car (Twin Races)
March 14th: Late Model Stock Car
March 20th: Late Model Stock Car
March 28th: Late Model Stock Car
April 4th: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
April 10th: Late Model Stock Car (Twin Races)
April 18th: Late Model Stock Car
April 25th: Late Model Stock Car
May 2nd: LLate Model Stock Car (Twin Races)
May 9th: Late Model Stock Car
May 23rd: Late Model Stock Car (Twin Races)
May 29th: Late Model Stock Car
June 6th: Late Model Stock Car/SESTS
June 13th: Late Model Stock Car
June 20th: Late Model Stock Car
June 27th: Late Model Stock Car
July 3rd: PASS South
July 18th: Late Model Stock Car
July 25th: Late Model Stock Car (Twin Races)
August 1st: Late Model Stock Car
August 8th: Late Model Stock Car/Southeast Super Truck Series
August 14th: Late Model Stock Car 150
August 28th: Late Model Stock Car
September 9th: Late Model Stock Car
September 12th: Late Model Stock Car
September 19th: Late Model Stock Car
