NASCAR speedways in Charlotte, Atlanta opened up for Hurricane Idalia evacuees

As Hurricane Idalia made its way to land, two NASCAR tracks opened up their doors in case residents needed a place to stay. Evacuees from the storm had an opportunity to go to Atlanta Motor Speedway or Charlotte Motor Speedway in case they needed it.

In the past, NASCAR tracks have acted as evacuation zones for those fleeing catastrophic storms and hurricanes. The venues opened up their campgrounds, and some areas with water, power and sewer hookups were available for $35 a night. There were free options for dry camping in the RV campground at Atlanta.

“Anyone who is looking to get out of the path of Idalia is welcome to stay with us here at AMS. With hundreds of acres of campgrounds and supporting infrastructure, our facility is well equipped to help in times of need,” said AMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison earlier this week. “That’s why we’ve made a habit of working hand-in-hand with Henry County Emergency Management for more than a decade to lend a helping hand for situations like this.”

In 2017, as well as 2018 and 2019, these facilities opened up. NASCAR has been keeping an eye on Hurricane Idalia as Darlington weekend gets closer. However, giving residents in the impacted areas a place they could go in case they needed it, is a great gesture that has continued on for the last several years.

As for this weekend, NASCAR doesn’t expect the damage from Hurricane Idalia to matter much. There is a slate of nicer weather coming up later this week for the Xfinity and Cup Series races. So, it looks like we might avoid some rain for once this season.

NASCAR expects Darlington to be fine despite Hurricane Idalia

Before storms hit, you never know the damage that they might cause. There are times when storms are stronger than expected and vice versa. It seems that the damage of the storm in South Carolina will not impact the track and everything should go along as planned.

This season has not been easy when it comes to rain and bad weather playing spoiler. It feels like half of our race weekends this year have had some kind of weather impact. That either means there was a cancelation of practice, qualifying, or a postponement of a race or two. Let’s not forget we’ve had three Monday races this year.

As NASCAR heads to Darlington for the Cook Out Southern 500, the weather looks great. The Lady in Black got a nice wash and the track will be green when the weekend starts. Cup drivers will hope that the Saturday activity at the track with the Xfinity race and qualifying sessions lays a good amount of rubber on the track.

It is the playoffs! Darlington! This is the best way to kickoff the postseason and I can’t wait to see what surprises we have this season. Remember, last year we had four straight races of non-playoff winners playing spoiler. Erik Jones got it started at this race. Who is next?