News

Daytona Speedway Issues Statement On Hurricane Damage & Hoax

Published Oct 11, 2016 By Manly Bryant

Credit: Autoblog

Following the horrific damage of last week’s Hurricane Matthew, the speedway was shown completely under water and instantly went viral across all channels of social media, but late Friday afternoon, Daytona International Speedway issued a statement on the matter.

With more than $5 billion already tallied in damage, it’s no wonder that this storm is working its way up to being one of the most expensive in history and, unfortunately, the storm damaged one of the best-known landmarks in the state, leaving a huge mess for crews to clean up.

“Daytona International Speedway experienced moderate damage from Hurricane Matthew with impacts to lights, speakers, signage, fences, gates, awnings and palm trees. Daytona International Speedway Ticket Office and Tours and the Richard Petty Driving Experience will be closed on Saturday and Sunday for facility cleanup. We will provide more updates through the weekend,” the statement begins.

In addition to the imminent danger of a CAT 4 hurricane, some horrifying photos and videos of damage began making their rounds on social media, including the one posted at the top of this story. Tragically, this was all a huge hoax and the photos were sourced from a 2009 flooding event and hurricane. The speedway addressed this issue in their press release as well.

“Pictures of a past weather event at Daytona International Speedway have been circulating on social media during the storm. Those pictures are from a weather event in 2009. There was no flood damage to the facility from Hurricane Matthew.

“We are working with local, regional and state officials on recovery efforts following Hurricane Matthew. Daytona International Speedway is once again serving as a staging site for Florida Power & Light crews. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been impacted by this weather system.”

We are keeping the people affected by Hurricane Matthew in our thoughts and prayers and we can’t wait for Daytona to reopen. Watch the videos below that show some of the real effects of the hurricane.