The dream of having a slot car raceway in the Spartanburg/Greenville area began in 1999. After seeing my first track in a modest store front in the Deleware Watergap region, it was apparent that this would somehow have to be a part of my future plans for settling in the Upstate.
The Dadds Corner Climb has been at the core of Upstate Speedway since the inception of the Raceway. This track was stored by the owner of JK Products before moving to Fox Valley Raceway in 2003. located at Mid America Raceway owned by Roger Schmitt in Napperville, Illinois in 2006, then sold to TSS Hobbies in Belleville until Dave moved it to DJ Hobbies in Eastpont, Michigan. Upstate picked the track up from DJ Hobbies and it has remained in the Upstate of SC ever since.
Most refer to this track as a Chris Dadd Corner Climb track because of the high incline of the banked turns.
The Corner Climb debuted on Mill Street in Inman, SC and then moved to a location on the Ashville Highway in Inman after a storm destroyed the roof of the Mill street location.
There have been two new tracks added to Upstate since moving from Inman to Downtown Spartanburg. First in the Spring of 2020 an Engleman was brought from Bloom Raceway in PA and then an Ogilive Orange, replicating the original American Orange was brought from Defiance, Ohio. Projecting and hoping to expand and add a King and Tri-oval in 2022.
Upon re-opening in 2020, Upstate raced two classes, a Flexi Chassis LMP class on Wednesday nights and Saturdays and a custom build Stock Car class on a 4 1/2" Protrack Chassis on Thursdays and Saturdays. The first weekend in October, the first annual Oktoberfest race was held and the Little Monterey class of hardbody cars made by Scaleauto/BRM was featured and well received. 2021 added GTP racing and a special build WOMP semi rig.
These are our tracks:
Dadds Corner Climb (1ST PICTURE SHOWing track IN DJ HOBBIES, MICHIGAN, 2ND picture was at the Upstate Inman location on the Ashville HWY)
The Engleman (picture shows track in previous home Bloom Hobbies and Raceway in Bloomburg, PA)
The American Blue King added to Upstate Speedway in late May 2021. Rounding out our commitment to providing a diverse grouping of great tracks. The King joins Upstate from speedgate raceway in warren, Ohio
and the 1/8th Mile Drag purchased from Archdale, NC and resurfaced.
PLastic digital Scalextric and Carerra tracks of various lengths
CHRIS DADD CORNERCLIMB: THE CHAMPIONSHIP TRACK
The Chris Dadds Cornerclimb (red track pictured below) was in Montgomery Illinois at Doug Meharry's- Fox Speedway and then Roger Schmitt's - Mid-America Raceway in the early 2000's. The track served at the 2009 USRA D2 Nats in Montgorery, Illinois from May 28 through the first week of June handling all the classes not run on the flat track While setting in Montgomery a fourth post was added that allowed drivers to hook up the controller and drop 3 volts of power. As early as June 2, 2009 6 different countries were respresented at the NATS including drivers such as Paul Gawronski, Brian Saunders & Tracy Chin. There were 194 total entries at the 2009 Scale Nats. It was nine days long if you count the practice day or 8 days of racing. 16 races, racing 10 classes.
Upstate Speedway acquired the Dadds Cornerclimb from DJ's hobbies in St. Clair Shores MI, January 2014.
Upstate Speedway acquired the Dadds Cornerclimb from DJ's hobbies in St. Clair Shores MI, January 2014.
Dadds Constructing the Red Hill Climb
Steve Ogilvie Engleman
Engleman Set up commenced on 20JUNE2020
Above: Engleman under construction
Below: finally finished 28June2020
Pictures below are from Bloom Raceway and Hobbies - Bloomsburg, PA prior to moving the Engleman to Spartanburg, SC
These 5 pictures were contributed by Mr. John Streisguth who helped put together the Engleman at Uncle Kals Model Car Raceway in Monrovia, CA (opened in 2003)
The Engleman moved from Monrovia, CA in 2011 to be relocated in Elizabethville, PA, about 40 mile north of Harrisburg, PA at TKO Raceway. This is a picture from TKO Raceway.
Original American Blue King
The American Blue King at Speedgate Raceways in Warren, Ohio.
Length: 155’ (47m) 8 lanes
The Blue King at Upstate Speedway purchased in April 2021 from Speed Gate Raceway In Warren Ohio, where it was moved from Rt 93 (raceway) in Akron Ohio, was made in California in 1965 by American Raceways. It was a155' foot course called the Blue King. Blue Formica sides. After that it went somewhere in Central US before Gary King from St. Pete, FL bought it. Gary King resurfaced the original 1965 King over top of the original surface. The track was purchased from Gary King who closed his raceway (King Raceway) in St. Pete, FL. around spring summer 1989.
The track was put into service in Murdock, FL around 1989 under the name Charlotte Raceway then moved it to Charlotte Harbor, FL. Mike Lanzetta bought it and set it up in Charlotte Harbor down the road a little south. Mike sold it to a man from New York who set it up in Lehigh Acres, FL. Then after a hurricane he sold it and it eventually ended up in Akron, Ohio, It was nicely refurbished in Ohio where Gary Gerding moved the drivers panel one track section toward the bank. in December 2013, The American Raceways Retro Racing Series (a Retro Slot Racing Series for Retro 1/24 Can-Am and F1 cars) raced a three event series on three of the "Finest Restored American Raceways Tracks" in the U.S.A. Series Race 2 on Dec 14, 2013 using IRRA LLC rules was held at Route 93 Raceway on the 155 foot American Blue King track in Akron, Ohio. The first race was at Thazzeri South Bend, Indiana and the third was at Fastraxxxx Raceway in Freemont, Ohio.
Last stop before Upstate!
Trent Kiefer bought the track on Saturday, Memorial Day weekend 2019. The track had been stored in Akron, Ohio and had to be removed by the Tuesday following Labor Day. At that point it was scheduled to be auctioned off or worse, disposed of. The track was moved to a friend's track called Speed Gate Raceway in Bazetta. The original light blue color was scuffed from storage. Kiefer decided to repaint it a more vibrant color blue and to glaze and repaint the surface to change it from black to a gray 2 part epoxy for visibility. It's time at Speed Gate was quiet with light racing and then when the Coronovirus closed operations in 2020, the King sat alone in a large warehouse. Kiefer decided that this track, one of only 5 remaining American Kings, needed a home with more racing.
The Blue King at Upstate Speedway purchased in April 2021 from Speed Gate Raceway In Warren Ohio, where it was moved from Rt 93 (raceway) in Akron Ohio, was made in California in 1965 by American Raceways. It was a155' foot course called the Blue King. Blue Formica sides. After that it went somewhere in Central US before Gary King from St. Pete, FL bought it. Gary King resurfaced the original 1965 King over top of the original surface. The track was purchased from Gary King who closed his raceway (King Raceway) in St. Pete, FL. around spring summer 1989.
The track was put into service in Murdock, FL around 1989 under the name Charlotte Raceway then moved it to Charlotte Harbor, FL. Mike Lanzetta bought it and set it up in Charlotte Harbor down the road a little south. Mike sold it to a man from New York who set it up in Lehigh Acres, FL. Then after a hurricane he sold it and it eventually ended up in Akron, Ohio, It was nicely refurbished in Ohio where Gary Gerding moved the drivers panel one track section toward the bank. in December 2013, The American Raceways Retro Racing Series (a Retro Slot Racing Series for Retro 1/24 Can-Am and F1 cars) raced a three event series on three of the "Finest Restored American Raceways Tracks" in the U.S.A. Series Race 2 on Dec 14, 2013 using IRRA LLC rules was held at Route 93 Raceway on the 155 foot American Blue King track in Akron, Ohio. The first race was at Thazzeri South Bend, Indiana and the third was at Fastraxxxx Raceway in Freemont, Ohio.
Last stop before Upstate!
Trent Kiefer bought the track on Saturday, Memorial Day weekend 2019. The track had been stored in Akron, Ohio and had to be removed by the Tuesday following Labor Day. At that point it was scheduled to be auctioned off or worse, disposed of. The track was moved to a friend's track called Speed Gate Raceway in Bazetta. The original light blue color was scuffed from storage. Kiefer decided to repaint it a more vibrant color blue and to glaze and repaint the surface to change it from black to a gray 2 part epoxy for visibility. It's time at Speed Gate was quiet with light racing and then when the Coronovirus closed operations in 2020, the King sat alone in a large warehouse. Kiefer decided that this track, one of only 5 remaining American Kings, needed a home with more racing.
American Blue King Arrival at Upstate May 18, 2021
Previous Homes for the blue |
Above: The commitment to keep the Red Corner Climb when adding the King occupied a half day of measuring and debating. Eventually all agreed that the Red Hillclimb would have to be temporarily retired.
Above: Still sorting out and rearranging. Temporary Pit Table placement while the King is being put back together.
ABOVE: Track at Speedgate Raceways after the track was repainted.
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Drag RAcing
The track on the left is as it is currently configured. The picture on the right with the black surface is from the location in Inman and was taken before the track was resurfaced and rebuilt.
BRIEF HISTORY OF UPSTATE SPEEDWAY
We were originally located in downtown Inman on Mill Street. An unfortunate storm brought water into the building ruining our 96ft Tri-Oval and requiring us to move. The Pictures below were of our first moving into the 12 Mill Street location. The year we spent there was a great first year and a good core group of racers began to form around the NASCAR and GTP classes. Those remain our most popular classes to this day although we have added Group F Wingcar and are seeing more Dirt Late Model Cars running as well.
In the year following Upstate moved to an old NAPA parts store and added a Stadium Hill Climb and an HO track to the inventory. At the end of that year a series of events including military deployment forced a transition from Upstate Speedway to Foothills as the track briefly changed hands. Foothills lasted a year and the tracks went into storage until April 2020 when Upstate was reborn in a downtown Spartanburg location. The Stadium and HO are gone but an Engleman will be added to the Hillclimb and drag track making a three total track facility.
In the year following Upstate moved to an old NAPA parts store and added a Stadium Hill Climb and an HO track to the inventory. At the end of that year a series of events including military deployment forced a transition from Upstate Speedway to Foothills as the track briefly changed hands. Foothills lasted a year and the tracks went into storage until April 2020 when Upstate was reborn in a downtown Spartanburg location. The Stadium and HO are gone but an Engleman will be added to the Hillclimb and drag track making a three total track facility.
Following a long 21 foot U-Haul ride we unloaded and began setting up shop in Inman, SC in January 2014.
Pictured above, moving the track into the Inman location
Settling into our new location on Asheville HWY Sept 2015
Oktoberfest 2020
Upstate Speedway held a first ever Oktoberfest race October 3, 2020 at the McMillian Road location. Two tracks were used for the race. The Yellow Engleman was used for the Stock Car class racing on the 4 1/" Prostock Chassis. The Transam Class and the Flexi LMP class both raced on the Red Cornerclimb.
The pictures below were taken by the host of Droppin the Hammer racing broadcasting.
The pictures below were taken by the host of Droppin the Hammer racing broadcasting.
Oktoberfest Transam results
Oktoberfest LMP Race Results
Oktoberfest Stock Car Race Results
AMR Black Royal
Beautifully reconditioned Black Royal delivered from Fasttraxx Raceway and Hobbies in Fremont, OH on June 19, 2022. This track along with the Red Hillclimb will be stored and re-emerge in a new incarnation of Upstate Speedway sometime in 2024-2025.
Pictures from the 2009 NaTS in Illinois
raced on the Cornerclimb
The above pictures were taken at the 2009 USRA Div II Scale Nats Mid-America Raceway in Montgomery, IL
They are posing in front of the Dadds Cornerclimb!
They are posing in front of the Dadds Cornerclimb!
ARchive of Tracks that have come and gone from Upstate
Steve Ogilvie American Monarch/Orange
With a heavy heart, we said good-bye to the Orange track on 27APRIL2021. With a brand new Lapmaster timing system and a fresh coat of paint, she is on her way to Michigan. She will be replaced with a 1965 Original American Blue refitted by master builder Gary Gerding. The New track which is pictured below, is schedule to begin service at Upstate Speedway this coming June 2021.
Pictured below is a 100 ft Blue Monarch (also known as the American Orange) which arrived at Upstate Speedway on Ohio May 17, 2020. This will be the third and final road coarse track at our current location. This was the first track of this design constructed by Steve Ogilvie. The track was built in the fall of 1991 and its first location was at Hobby Haven in New Haven, Indiana. Between 1991 and 1996, there were many world records held on this track for USRA Wing Cars. Hobby Haven was closed in 1996. Upstate Speedway purchased the track from Don Turner in Defiance, Ohio May 2020. Prior to coming to Upstate, the track held many Tri State USRA races and a Parma Challenge Cup Regional Race in 1995. (History courtesy of Ron Hershman)
"The esses are very close to an original's as I measured that track and also the track in New Haven IN (Ft.Wayne) that I replicated for I think Bill Masters ? His old original track was a victim of Tee slots getting too wide. ...looking at the original I made this track narrower by shortening the straight between the esses and the donut and moving the deadman closer to the main straight. Also the original has an overcut donut, meaning more than a 270 degree turn." (Track Builder Steve Ogilvie, taken from a post on Slot Blog commenting on this track.)
The track was repainted Orange in May 2020 after being installed at Upstate Speedway, Spartanburg, SC.
"The esses are very close to an original's as I measured that track and also the track in New Haven IN (Ft.Wayne) that I replicated for I think Bill Masters ? His old original track was a victim of Tee slots getting too wide. ...looking at the original I made this track narrower by shortening the straight between the esses and the donut and moving the deadman closer to the main straight. Also the original has an overcut donut, meaning more than a 270 degree turn." (Track Builder Steve Ogilvie, taken from a post on Slot Blog commenting on this track.)
The track was repainted Orange in May 2020 after being installed at Upstate Speedway, Spartanburg, SC.