“That’s Scary”: NASCAR Fans Left Aghast by Mother Nature Wrecking Havoc at WWT Raceway

Businesses and residents of Illinois’ Metro East region suffered various damages after storms ravaged through the Midwest on Thursday evening. Among those affected, Gateway Motorsports Park, better known as World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison County, IL has NASCAR fans on social media praying for a fast recovery of its 0.250-mile drag strip.

Recent updates by FOX2 revealed that “The bleachers were flipped onto the racetrack at World Wide Technology Speedway in Madison, Illinois. @BommaritoAuto SkyFOX helicopter flew over the area Friday morning.”

NASCAR fans breathe easy with oval emerging safe as storm wreaks havoc

A following repost on Twitter saw the broadcast giants also mention, “A clarification. This is the drag strip which is separate from the racetrack for WWT Raceway.” Hence, fans can breathe a solitary sigh of relief knowing the festivities are still on for the 2024 edition of the Enjoy Illinois 300 scheduled for the first week of June.

However, thoughts and prayers go out to all who were affected by Mother Nature’s relentless outbreak in the Midwest. Renowned motorsports journalist, Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, recently updated fans on Twitter regarding the calamitous situation and people were understandably shocked.

One user wanted more answers as they inquired in concern: “Is this from storms or did they just collapse?? that’s scary,” while another said, “Straight line winds would be my guess. Note the billboards blown off on that side of the track as well. The winds would be able to climb the bleachers on the other side instead of getting under them and lifting as well.” 

Track official updates fans with some good news

Nevertheless, Chris Blair, General Manager and Executive VP of WWT Raceway gracefully replied to Gluck’s original post, writing, “Hey @jeff_gluck – all is good. Obviously, this weekend’s drag races are canceled but we will be back next weekend with @ToughMudder and in two weeks @NMCAnationals will be drag racing. The @GatewayKartplex is opening at 12 today for anyone wanting to have some fun.” 

The devastating circumstances come right after the announcements of the lineup for the Confluence Music Festival set to grace the St Louis area on the same weekend that NASCAR rolls into town for a third consecutive year of some Next Gen festivities. On that note, Ludacris and T-Pain will be the headliners for this “Crossroads of Concert & Community,” with 30 national and regional acts supporting their displays. The NASCAR world will be eagerly awaiting more positive updates regarding the situation at the World Wide Technology Raceway.