The Richmond International Raceway property survived Tropical Storm Gaston’s devastating, intense rainfall that dumped as much as 14 inches of rain in some areas of Richmond this past Monday night.

The track’s administrative offices and a few other buildings on the property sustained minor water damage and the entire facility lost power for the majority of the day on Tuesday.  Several NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series teams still managed to test on Tuesday, as back-up generator power supplied the electricity for the gas pumps. The other damage to the property was part of a tram road that was washed out by the storm and some fencing that was knocked down.  Those repairs will be completed before on-track activity starts on Thursday, September 9.

 “If we had to race tomorrow, we would be ready,” said track president Doug Fritz. “We do not anticipate any disruption in our race events due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston.  After assessing our entire property, including our parking lots, over the last couple of days and again this morning, we have held up very, very well.  It’s been a challenging few days for the entire Richmond community, but Richmond International Raceway will be ready for the biggest race weekend in our history.”

“Honestly, we were lucky,” Fritz continued.  “There are other individuals and businesses in Richmond that are not as fortunate, including one of our own employees, who had extensive damage to his home and lost just about everything in it.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to family members who lost loved ones or those who have lost their homes or other property.”

Tropical Storm Gaston is responsible for at least five deaths, has caused an estimated $15 million in damage and has forced more than 100 sections of roads to close.  Portions of two moderately-traveled roads leading to the track are currently closed, including U.S. Highway 301 (in nearby Hanover County at Kersey Creek) and Creighton Road (between Dabbs House Road and Gordon Lane).  Both of those roads are northeast of Richmond International Raceway and while they are not part of the normal race-day traffic pattern, race fans should remember that these roads will probably not be passable in those areas and they should seek alternate routes.

“We do not anticipate significant changes to our traffic pattern related to these weather issues, but we do want our fans to be as prepared as possible when they leave their homes for the races,” Fritz continued.  “Right now, these road closures are a minor inconvenience and we are hoping there is no further damage to these or other roads. But if we have more storms or road conditions deteriorate for some reason, it may make things more challenging for people driving to the track.  So we are asking our fans to please double check our website before they leave home and to tune into the traffic reports on the radio as they reach the Richmond area.”