Lancaster Speedway is truly the "Grand Daddy" of local tracks. It's one of the oldest surviving dirt tracks in the south. It was built by a group of Lancaster men headed by the late Herman "Hump" Poovey. The first race was held in 1954 with a huge crowd on hand. The track hosted two Nascar races in 1957 which were won by Paul Goldsmith and Speedy Thompson.  The track was purchased by cousins Ross and Charles "Snooks" Cauthen after being closed for several years. The Cauthens operated the Speedway from 1963 until 1968. They sold the track to Lancaster businessman Coble Funderburk who promoted races from 1969 until 1973 along with his son Randy Funderburk.  Several  improvements to the facility were made during their tenure. In 1974 the track was purchased by Jim Mahaffey who owned a Used Parts business. This was the beginning of what many people remember as some of the best years in the track's long history. One of the first changes made was to drop the V8 Late Model Sportsman division which was the track's highest class at the time. Many fans said that would be the beginning of the end of the track but time proved them wrong. Lancaster ran all six cylinder divisions for many years with great success. Car counts were high and good crowds of fans were in the stands for each week. Lancaster's six cylinder cars were known as some of the fastest of their type in the nation. Mahaffey put lots of money back into the facility each year making improvements and upgrades. After a very successful twelve year run as owner and promoter health problems forced his decision to sell the Speedway. It was sold to Fort Lawn businessman Herbert Murray. Murray continued the tradition of making upgrades to the facility throughout his long and successful term as owner. The powerful V8 Late Model division was also brought back to the delight of many fans. In 2001 the track changed hands once again. This time it was sold to Rock Hill business owners Doug and Sharon McManus. McManus, who was a former driver at the track, set out to make it a more family oriented attraction. In addition to many improvements a playground  was added as well as weekly kids events. William "Hook" Plyler  came on board as the General Manager and a new era began. They are in their fourth season in 2004 as the track celebrates it's 50th birthday and it's never looked better.  In those fifty years thousands of drivers have raced at Lancaster. Among those are Nascar legends from the past as well as all the top dirt track drivers from all over the country. Many local drivers who raced at the track each week have became legends in their own right as well.