[gilligan]

A tornado did 40 million dollars worth of damage to the Atlanta Motor Speedway today. Goddamnit!!!!



The National Weather Service confirmed Thursday at least two tornadoes moved through the Metro Atlanta area during the storms brought on by the remnants of Tropical Depression Cindy Wednesday night.

Damage estimates from the storms have reached nearly $100 million in Georgia and may go higher.

The worst of the damage seems to have occurred in Henry County.

“This storm is probably the worst storm that I can remember to have hit Henry County. We have had tornadoes and storms in the past that have done some damage here, but nothing this widespread, from west to east across the county,” said Henry County Fire Chief Barry Jenkins.

One of the tornadoes, which tore through the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., was described as being a half-mile wide, and packing winds of 150 mph per hour.

The winds left their mark on a section of the grandstands, scattering the upper portion on the seats below, and the scoring tower is a twisted heap on the ground.

Several units at the speedway condominiums were damaged.

Only four people were in the condominiums Wednesday night -- including a security guard - since most of the condominums are usually vacant and are rented during race weeks. There are only five permanent residences, said Marcie Scott, spokeswoman for the Speedway, and none of the residents were injured in the storm.

Officials estimate the speedway suffered at least $40 million in damage.

"To my knowledge, the racing surface is okay but you know the lights, fences, suites, grand stands, concessions buildings, restroom buildings, it goes from A to Z," said Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark. “It’s about a $200 to $225 million facility and there’s almost nothing that hasn’t sustained some damage.”

Some of the condominium residents said their building was swaying in the storm.

"All of a sudden we heard this noise coming and Chris hollered, 'We got to get out of here. We got to get out,'" said condo resident D.J. Ray. "We made our way back to the second bedroom and got in the master bath back there and he stayed in the doorway, like this, and I was squatted down in the tub... It took my heart about an hour to slow down."

While the speedway's races for the next week have been canceled, NASCAR's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 -- set for Oct. 30 -- will go on as planned, Clark said. "We'll be here and we'll be running the race as scheduled," he said.

The twister also hit the Tara Field airport in Hampton, the National Weather Service said. Four planes were overturned and two hangars were damaged at the airport.

About 10 miles northeast of Hampton, weather officials confirmed another tornado carrying 90 mph winds touched down in McDonough, Ga.

In the Ashton Courts subdivision, damage was widespread. “It made a big whoosh noise, I suppose,” Jeffrey Mathis, a resident, said. “I wasn’t trying to stay to find out. I had to go.”

Asked how he was going to deal with the damage to his family’s home, Mathis, managing a bit of humor, replied, “State Farm, baby, State Farm.”

In nearby Stockbridge, Ga., an aerial view of the area showed most roofs covered with blue tarps and the siding on brick homes ripped off.

It is unclear if the twister that struck McDonough traveled through the area.

In one area, a home with its back completely exposed stood next door to another home that suffered no damage. Resident Wanda Fullerton said heard the sound of a loud, roaring train while her husband tried to move the family to the basement just after 10 p.m.

"My husband was downstairs in the basement and he heard a noise and he heard a lot of wind and he ran up and said 'I think we need to get in the basement' and he looked out the back window and saw our trampoline flying in the air and it landed back behind the church," Fullerton said.

"He was telling me we've got to get down in the basement so I was hollering at my son who was up in the bonus room and I couldn't get him up and he came to the door and he had been hit the head with a window that had came through the house."

Fullerton said she surveyed outside to find her gutters in the yard and two trees toppled. “I was so upset, but then after I got around looking around at my neighbors, God I was so thankful."

There were also reports of possible tornado damage in Heard, Meriwether, Coweta and Fayette counties, said Eric Avila, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_art...?storyid=65828

[psiloshroom]

oh damn... our state's economy is going to die without nascar... shit

[gilligan]

that track brings in more money than Turner Field, Philips Arena, our the dome. My ticket last year was $110, i paid 165 for the 3 day package. Guess i wont be going this yr...
they also have concerts and carshows and whatnot but the place holds 160,000 people.

[DancinJerrbears]

ahh damnit... one passed by my house a few years ago it was like 30 yards away in this depression. i live in atlanta- now sandy springs(new city)

[MexicanGreen]

FUCK that sucks... dude gilligan we have to catch a race when that shit gets fixed.... atleast the nascar race isnt gonna get messed up.

[gilligan]

Yea i heard sandy srpings was now like the 7th or 9th biggest city in the state. All atl is is a fucking big ass suburb.

Unite my GA Stoners. Hoooooooooo.

EDIT: No doubt mexican. I didnt go to the spring race because my birthday is oct 28th and i usually go to the fall race because the weathers usually nicer and i hav an assload of birthday money. Next race well get us some tix. I sat one section away from the start/finish line last year, best seats i ever had.

[MexicanGreen]

i'm goin to bristol again next month, I went to the first race there to....

[gilligan]

^^ you son of a bitch. Ive never been but that is the one track i want to go to if i could only pick 1. I bet it is kick ass in person.

[Boondock]

bwyahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahaahhahahahahahha




NO NASCAR CAR YA CUNT

[Luke]

[Crash]

fuck them non believers. Id like to see you guys do what they do.

god damnit that sucks. Id like to see maybe darlington get their second date this year, i wonder what theyre gonna do.

[TheBagman]

only reason to watch nascar is for the crashes...

[Crash]

people who watch nascar for crashes are more like stupid hicks than the 'stupid hicks' that watch it.


"OOOOH DESTRUCTION". go watch fear factor you easily entertained bastahds

[TheBagman]

hahaha, fuck that. it's not my thing until something explodes, or someone almost dies.

[Luke]

nascar = boring

[Crash]

would you watch it if their were nukes on the track

[TheBagman]

yeah.

[Luke]

just strap a tomahawk missle to the front of every car

[Crash]

Point proven. Well then, heres a shiny object for you to marvel at.