By Kevin Kovac

BARBERVILLE, FL -February 2, 2007- Volusia Speedway Park was not impacted by the severe thunderstorms and apparent tornadoes that tore a deadly swath through central Florida early Friday morning.

Track officials were hard at work Friday afternoon continuing preparations for the 36th annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Mopar Speedshop, which lights up the half-mile oval from Feb. 6-17.

“The storms missed us by about 10 miles to the south,” said Volusia Speedway Park General Manager Harvey Fink. “We got about five inches of rain and some wind at the track, but nothing was damaged.

“We’re out here today putting up more billboards and signs, and we’re getting ready to mow the grass and cut some weeds as soon as the ground dries up. Our staff is also in the track office taking ticket orders and answering questions about the DIRTcar Nationals.”

Volusia Speedway Park did not even lose power in the wake of the storms, which fired up in central Florida around 3:15 a.m. The worst of the storms hit about 50 miles southwest of VSP in Lake County’s Paisley and Lady Lake communities, where an apparent tornado leveled dozens of homes and caused at least 14 deaths.

Parts of Volusia County also sustained heavy storm damage and at least 10 people were hospitalized for treatment of injuries. On Interstate 4 near Deland, about 15 miles south of the speedway, a semi tractor-trailer was lifted up and landed on another semi, but the driver pinned in his cab wasn’t seriously injured.

Many of Volusia Speedway Park’s employees live near areas affected by the storms, but Fink confirmed that all staffers were fine.

“We’re fortunate that all of our employees are O.K. and the racetrack was not damaged,” said Fink. “But there are many families in the area who were affected by the storms and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

The 36th annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Mopar Speedshop kicks off on Tues., Feb. 6. The 12 nights of action includes the World of Outlaws Sprints (Feb. 9-11); the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series (Feb. 15 and 17); the Advance Auto Parts DIRT big-block Modifieds (Feb. 14-17); UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Models (Feb. 12, 13, 14 and 16) and Modifieds (Feb. 6-13); and the All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars (Feb. 6-8).

For more information on the 36th annual DIRTcar Nationals, visit www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com or call the Volusia Speedway Park office at 386-985-4402.


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