NASCAR Returns to Anderson
South Carolina Adds Third Whelen All-American Series Track
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The NASCAR championship race for South Carolina got a little more competitive over the weekend. NASCAR and Anderson (S.C.) Motor Speedway announced Saturday at the track’s 2013 Champion’s Dinner and Awards Presentation that the .375-mile semi-banked oval will join the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in 2014.
The return of Anderson gives the state three ovals that host Late Model Stock Cars as their top division.
Anderson operates on Friday nights and will pair with the historic Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway – a half-mile track that competes on Saturday nights. The tracks are about 30 miles apart and the rules package will be similar at both speedways for most divisions.
“We’re happy to renew our relationship with the Porter family and Anderson Motor Speedway,” said Bob Duvall, NASCAR senior director, business development. “It is one of those traditional southern venues for great racing.
“The addition of Anderson creates a two-night NASCAR Whelen All-American Series circuit for drivers and fans. They can attend Anderson on Fridays and Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway on Saturdays.”
Anderson is the fifth track to join the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series in 2014. Also joining the series are Autodrome St. Eustache in Quebec, Canada, Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, N.Y., Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and East Carolina Motor Speedway in Robersonville, N.C.
Anderson Motor Speedway was built in 1962 by Rupert Porter and opened in 1963. Porter passed away in 2009, but the track stayed in the family and is now owned by his wife, Shirley Porter, and promoted by their daughter, Sylvia Porter.
“We’re excited to rejoin NASCAR,” Sylvia Porter said. “A NASCAR sanction brings a lot of opportunities for our drivers, teams and the track. Being a NASCAR track will increase our visibility and add to our track points fund. We’re still a family business that provides family entertainment and great racing.”
NASCAR Late Model Stock Cars will be Anderson’s NASCAR Division I. Division II is set for Mini Stocks and Division III will be the Renegades classification. Division IV is slated for Super Renegades, Division V will be BM Modifieds while Division VI will be a Front-Wheel Drive class.
In addition to Anderson and Greenville, Myrtle Beach Speedway is a longtime home to NASCAR Late Model Stock Car racing in the state’s coastal “Grand Strand” resort area. The Myrtle Beach track is a slightly banked .538-mile oval.
The payout for the top three positions in Division I in a state is multiplied by the number of tracks in each state, meaning the addition of Anderson benefits drivers at the other two tracks as well. The top 10 at each track in divisions I through IV also receive a share of the track’s point fund.
New this year, NASCAR will award national championships in each division. In recent seasons, the Finalist Program honored top competitors outside of Division I.
Anderson Motor Speedway observed its 50th anniversary season in 2013. Track champions were Justin Sorrow (Late Models), Chad Campbell (Mini Stocks), Blake Gregory (Evergreen Renegades), James Johnson (Super Renegades), Austin Northcutt (BM Modifieds), Riley Halverson (US Legends) and B.J. Davis (Front Wheel Drives).
Anderson originally opened as a .375-mile dirt track and was resurfaced with asphalt prior to the 1987 season. Mike Love of Pendergrass, Ga., was the star of the era. He won the track’s final NASCAR dirt Late Model championship in 1986. He then reeled off three consecutive NASCAR Late Model track titles from 1987 to 1989 on the asphalt surface. Aaron Gailey of Lavonia, Ga., won the track’s first NASCAR championship in 1985, while David Smith won the track’s most recent NASCAR Late Model Stock Car championship in 1990.
Love was a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship contender in 1989 while winning track championships at Anderson and the former Lanier Raceway in Braselton, Ga. Love tied Missouri driver Larry Phillips for a regional championship, but Phillips had the edge in the tiebreaker by winning 23 features to Love’s 20. That was the first of a series-record five titles for Phillips.
Established in 1982, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is NASCAR’s national championship program for weekly short track auto racing. More than 50 paved and dirt tracks throughout the United States and Canada participate. Anderson was part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series from 1985 to 1990.
Asphalt Late Model driver Lee Pulliam, 24, of Semora, N.C., won his second straight NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship in 2013.
Connecticut-based Whelen Engineering is the series’ title sponsor. Whelen Engineering is a leading manufacturer of automotive, aviation, industrial and emergency vehicle lighting. NASCAR tracks and pace cars across North America are among the many showcases for Whelen products.
More information on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is available at NASCARHomeTracks.com.
Sources: Paul Schaefer/NASCAR PR