DoubleZero
10-12-2008, 07:37 PM
It's all glitzy today: Cocquina Harbor Marina, Eagle's Nest Golf Course, and Lightkeeper's Village, and Willard's Fireworks are a few of the modern landmarks, but back in the day...............
The street beside Willard's Fireworks, that leads to a subdivision, once led to the finest dirt track, IMO, to ever grace the eastern Carolinas. It opened, in Little River, SC, in the spring of 1966, 3/8 mile, ultra high banked as Grand Strand Raceway. Although the turns were high banked, the top of the first and second turns were grade level. If a car ran off the track, there was no embankment to contend with.
The track changed hands and its name in 1969 to "Little River Raceway" as it was commonly known. The speedway was always impeccably maintained, I never recall and holes, ruts or dust. Unfortunately, timing wasn't great for Little River, and the racing scene was pretty crowded: Conway, Twin City, Marion County, and even Summerville, but the re-opening of Myrtle Beach Speedway in 1969, and Leland Raceway in 1967 seemed to signal the end of Little River. It struggled into the early '70's, but soon met the bulldozer's blade.
The next time you're at the beach, notice the area accross US 17 from Cocquina Harbor Marina..........if you look just right, you can almost here the roar of the cars and the crowd!
The street beside Willard's Fireworks, that leads to a subdivision, once led to the finest dirt track, IMO, to ever grace the eastern Carolinas. It opened, in Little River, SC, in the spring of 1966, 3/8 mile, ultra high banked as Grand Strand Raceway. Although the turns were high banked, the top of the first and second turns were grade level. If a car ran off the track, there was no embankment to contend with.
The track changed hands and its name in 1969 to "Little River Raceway" as it was commonly known. The speedway was always impeccably maintained, I never recall and holes, ruts or dust. Unfortunately, timing wasn't great for Little River, and the racing scene was pretty crowded: Conway, Twin City, Marion County, and even Summerville, but the re-opening of Myrtle Beach Speedway in 1969, and Leland Raceway in 1967 seemed to signal the end of Little River. It struggled into the early '70's, but soon met the bulldozer's blade.
The next time you're at the beach, notice the area accross US 17 from Cocquina Harbor Marina..........if you look just right, you can almost here the roar of the cars and the crowd!