Charlotte Motor Speedway opening campground to Hurricane Helene refugees

As Hurricane Helene bears down on the southeastern United States, preparations are being made across the south to ready for the storm. Those include some NASCAR-related preparations.

Charlotte Motor Speedway will open its campgrounds to hurricane refugees at 12 p.m. Wednesday, according to a press release.

Hurricane Helene is expected to slam the Florida coast, possibly as strong as a Category 4 storm, between the late Thursday and early Friday hours. It will then likely head up into Georgia before curling west toward the middle of Tennessee.

If it follows that projected path, Charlotte should be relatively clear from the storm, making it a capable hosting ground for refugees.

The speedway’s campgrounds are conveniently located just minutes from Exit 49 (Bruton Smith Boulevard) off of Interstate 85. The accommodations will be available as long as possible.

Evacuees are asked to check in at the Camping World Racing Resort office (6600 Bruton Smith Blvd, Concord, NC 28027), which can be accessed at the entrance to zMAX Dragway, starting as early as Wednesday. After-hour arrivals should park near the camping office and check in during regular business hours. Evacuees will have access to bathhouse facilities on speedway property. Questions can be directed to the camping office at 704-455-4445.

Georgia closes campus ahead of Hurricane Helene

The main campus at the University of Georgia will be closed on Thursday and Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Helene. The school announced the closures on Wednesday.

As of 6:25 p.m. ET Wednesday evening, Hurricane Helene was over Cancún and tracking north. It is expected to continue up the Gulf of Mexico and eventually reach the Florida panhandle by Thursday evening or early Friday morning, according to The Weather Channel. From there, the track would move up toward Atlanta before moving into Tennessee, Kentucky and southern Illinois.

Hurricane Helene is causing disruptions across the Southeast ahead of Week 5, as meteorologist James Spann detailed earlier this week. For the Georgia-Alabama game, though, he expects some rain and maybe some wind – although nothing like hurricane strength.

Florida A&M and Alabama A&M also rescheduled their Saturday game as a result of the storm. In Tallahassee, which appears in the middle of the path, Mike Norvell said Florida State is weighing its next steps as the storm approaches.

“I feel good about the plans that we have,” Norvell said Tuesday. “I feel good about any potential adjustments, if necessary, but it’s something we’re absolutely tracking.”

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this report.