RAMBI SPEEDWAY - MYRTLE BEACH SC
(Myrtle Beach Speedway)
The Myrtle Beach Speedway originally named Rambi Raceway was built in 1958 and is located on US 501 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The speedway is a 5/8 mile semi-banked asphalt oval track. Many of NASCAR greatest drivers have raced here at some point. Rambi Raceway opened as a dirt track in 1958. The Cup cars made their debut here that year in August as they showed up to race 200 laps around the 1/2 mile dirt oval. Bob Welborn would beat out Buck Baler and Shorty Rollins, who all finished on the lead lap. In 1959, Ned Jarrett would get the first of his three wins at the track when he beat Jim Paschal by more than a lap. He would go on to win again in 1962 and 1963, each race winning by a lap or more. Jarrett would be the only
driver to win here more than once. Buck Baker won in 1960; followed by Joe Weatherly in 1961 and Jack Smith in the spring race of 1962. David Pearson picked up a win here in 1964. The final race was in June of 1965. In it, G.C. Spencer led early, but was passed by Tiny Lund on lap four. Spencer had a good car and would run with the leaders until a broken ball joint put him out on lap 183. He still managed to finish fifth. Lund led until 81 laps to go before Dick Hutcherson would go by and take the checkered flag. Jarrett would finish second and Lund third. Nick Lucas bought the track in 1968, paving it in 1974. The Xfinity Series race (the Myrtle Beach 250) in 2000 was the last major NASCAR event at the track.
Through 2019, the NASCAR Weekly Series Late Model Stock Cars raced on Saturday nights from April until November. The track also ran various other classes of racing including Late Model Super Trucks, Pro 4 Modifieds and Street Stocks. Myrtle Beach also hosts a NASCAR AutoZone Elite Super Late Model race and two USAR Hooters Pro races. The speedway is home of the Myrtle Beach 400 and Ice Breaker 200. The track has hosted series such as the NASCAR Modifieds, CARS X1R Pro Cup, PARTS Pro Trucks, among others. In May 2020, it was announced the track would close its doors for good once the season was complete as the result of a sale to a land developer. Originally, the land owners' plan was to
demolish the facility and build hotels and condos on the property, but it was announced in early July 2021 that the company will not use the land for the original purpose, and the concept for the area fell through. In December 2021, most of the track including the track itself, most of the wall, and pit road were demolished, as now all that remains (as of December 31, 2021), is the front stretch and backstretch walls that show the name of the former racetrack.
Rambi Speedway (Myrtle Beach) 2020 ----->
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