Darlington Raceway offering temporary refuge to hurricane evacuees

DARLINGTON, S.C. (WBTW) — Darlington Raceway is offering temporary refuge to hurricane evacuees in the wake of Helene’s destruction and the impending threat of Milton.

Darlington Raceway opened one of its campgrounds for free on Wednesday at 8 a.m., according to a news release. The NASCAR track will open its east campground, located inside Turns 3 and 4, as a safe destination for people who need to bring their campers, trailers and vehicles to escape impacts from Milton.

“Darlington Raceway is committed to helping our friends across the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and surrounding states during this time of need,” Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris said. “We hope to provide a sense of relief by offering a place to stay for evacuees during this time of adversity. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who is suffering as a result of these storms.”

“We’ve got out first family here, I think from Florida,” Harris said. “We’ve welcomed them with open arms here with their RV. And we’re open now for anyone that shows up between now over the next few days, whether they come in the middle of the night, we’ve got 24-hour security out at gate 39, ready to welcome them.”

With one family from Florida staying at the campground, another family from Key West, Florida, is now making their way through the Carolinas to stay with friends in South Carolina. Colleen Anderson and David Zier were just passing through the Raceway, saying it’s great to see what the community has done.

“We don’t have a plan, No.1. No.2, we’re just wandering around, just deciding from one day to the next where to go,” Anderson said. “I think that’s so fantastic and so great. The people realize that there’s a lot of people that are in desperate measures. To be able to do this, if it helps them, that’s something that’s really great.”

Anderson said they don’t have a deadline for when they’ll return home, but they’d like to be back in time for election day next month.

Harris said on Thursday, Darlington Raceway will also be giving back with a special event.

“With Hurricane Helene, we announced last week we’re going to do special track laps for charity this Thursday, Oct. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m.,” Harris said. “So, for $25, you can come out, drive your own track right here around the track, Too Tough to Tame, three laps for every $25 donation. All those proceeds are going to benefit the American Red Cross and their Hurricane Helene efforts in the Carolinas.”

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Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter , Facebook or Instagram , and read more of her work here .

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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