There are things bigger than racing, and that is certainly true in the Southern Appalachian region which is reeling from catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene on Friday.
The recovery process is only beginning as services are slowly being restored and revealing the devastation’s extent. The quarter-mile Newport Speedway in Tennessee is in one of the regions hardest hit by the catastrophic floods.
While the track itself did not sustain any damage, according to a statement from the speedway, they have elected to cancel their grand reopening, which was set to take place on Saturday night.
“Newport Speedway would like to extend our sincere prayers to the residents of Cocke County and the surrounding areas in Tennessee, as well as the Southeast Truck Series staff, racers, and the race fans in Western North Carolina through this devastating event,” speedway management said in a statement. “The Southeast Super Truck Series race scheduled for Saturday, October 5th has been canceled. We will keep you informed as to when this will be rescheduled. At this time, we are focusing on the safety of everyone involved in this catastrophic occurrence.”
Newport Speedway closed in 2017, but was purchased this year by Tennessee native and businessman Chuck Ward with the intent of restoring the facility and bringing racing back. Renovations and upgrades had been completed and was set to reopen on Saturday.
The Southeast Super Truck Series may not be the only touring series to have its schedule impacted by Hurricane Helene.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is scheduled to race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday night, while the zMAX CARS Tour is also scheduled to race at North Wilkesboro for their season finale on October 19.
The images from Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina have looked like images from The Walking Dead. Over 100 souls have been lost to Hurricane Helene with thousands still unaccounted for, and authorities expect the number of dead to increase as search and rescue efforts are still ongoing.
For more information about how to help those affected by Hurricane Helene, visit the American Red Cross’ donation page or FEMA.
