Sheriff reveals dozens arrested after 'influencers' broke into former NASCAR venue Kentucky Speedway

A Sheriff from Gallatin County in Kentucky revealed more than 30 people have been arrested after “influencers” broke into Kentucky Speedway and posted videos to social media. The sheriff, who is named Bud Webster, said the break-ins have been happening since June.

“It’s been quite the ordeal since then,” Webster said, per WLWT.com. “When they post to social media, it’s my understanding that they get paid if they get so many followers or hits, so that’s what the purpose of it is.”

Webster said that the people have been either jumping the fence or cutting through to get into the venue. He also revealed there has been “vandalism and damage to property.” Kentucky Speedway use to host NASCAR and IndyCar races, but now the venue hosts smaller events, and parts of the property is rented out to companies.

“They think that the facility is abandoned, and it’s not,” Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Cpt. Brent McDonald said, per Fox19 in Cincinnati. “They still are track testing there. They still run the Richard Petty Driving Experience. So, there are still race cars that are running the track, so it is not abandoned.”

Will NASCAR return to Kentucky Speedway?

Kentucky Speedway opened in 2000 and is currently owned by Speedway Motorsports. It began hosting NASCAR Cup Series races in 2011, and the event was called the Quaker State 400 (which is now held in Atlanta). The race was held at Kentucky Speedway for 10 seasons, and Brad Keselowski holds the record for most wins at the track with three (2012, 2014 and 2016).

In 2024, Denny Hamlin talked about the possibility of NASCAR returning to Kentucky. “I don’t know. I mean there’s — Kentucky’s still out there,” Hamlin stated, regarding tracks where NASCAR could return. “Kentucky Speedway. There’s tracks out there. We need to think about it. We can’t just make a knee-jerk reaction and say, ‘Oh, we’ve got to have more of this or more of that.’ A lot of it plays into the facilities.

“I don’t know that you know, Kentucky is definitely not top-notch when it comes to facilities there. It needs, it would need some major work.”

It doesn’t look like NASCAR has plans to return to Kentucky any time soon. The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule was released on Wednesday, and Kentucky Speedway will not host one of the 38 events.