NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Speedway Motorsports, the parent company of Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, leaped into action in the wake of Hurricane Helene to assist in relief efforts, and NHRA and its race teams are also offering their help.

NHRA, in coordination with the Red Cross, also has created a donation website to aid in the recovery efforts.

Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee was designated as the Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center in coordination with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. The Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center at BMS is serving as a home base for recovery efforts and a major distribution center in the aftermath of the devastating flooding from Hurricane Helene that has greatly affected many Tennessee counties.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and several Tennessee state and national representatives recently took a tour of the relief center. Led by BMS Track President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell, Lee was joined on the tour by U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn and Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger. Later in the day, Caldwell also gave a separate tour to Tennessee District 6 Congressman John Rose.

Bristol Motor Speedway also is serving as a major donation and collection site while providing workspace for the logistics and search and rescue teams in a central staging area and is housing a regional disaster relief hotline. Members of the public are encouraged to make donations of bottled water, non-perishable food, baby supplies, and personal hygiene products. An evolving list of other donation centers are available on the TEMA website.

Lee, Blackburn, and Harshbarger toured the 80,000-square-foot warehouse being used as home base for the center, the BMS South Building, and met with volunteers and officials throughout the center. Today is the fifth day of operation for the center.

“I’m here to witness what the response should be from the agencies, the government, and to coordinate with Senator Blackburn, Congressman Harshbarger, to coordinate with the federal funding and the federal programing,” Lee told a group of media members during an interview session. “We want to make sure these folks represent us to D.C., which is a very important part of this process. That's why we are here to see it all come together.

"Today, what you see is boxes and boxes and pallets and cases of water and food and medical supplies," Lee said. "Everything folks are going to need to survive that initial rebuilding period. There is a great need out there. We want to make sure everything that is donated finds its way to someone in need. Nothing can replace the heartache that has been seen already. There is a great desire to respond in a way to provide great support for people that are going through the hardest days of their lives."

BMS Hospitality Village, Medallion Campground, and the BMS Helipad were being utilized in operations and housing-approved search and rescue units.

Charlotte Motor Speedway opened its campgrounds for free to evacuees and provided a large parking lot for Duke Energy (the state’s primary electric cooperative) to use as a staging ground for crews heading to the mountains to support relief efforts. Crews are debriefed and fed daily before heading into the field.
 
CMS, in conjunction with NASCAR and race teams, hosted a two-day donation drive that resulted in more than 400 pallets (15-plus tractor trailers full) of notations that were sent to North Wilkesboro Speedway to be distributed to residents in need across the western North Carolina mountains.
 
In addition, Speedway Motorsports, in conjunction with Hendrick Automotive Group, Hendrick Motorsports, and Sonic Automotive announced that they will make the collective $2 million gift to the international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, which is coordinating response across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Top Fuel racers Brittanie and Josh Hart have committed to doing whatever they can and have committed to raising donations for the affected communities of the panhandle of Florida until Oct. 23.
 
“We wanted to do something for all the people affected by Hurricane Helene here in Florida, and this just seemed like the perfect way to help,” said Brittanie Hart. “We have been blessed in our lives, and luckily, we didn’t get hit that hard in Ocala. We are praying for everyone affected. We hope these donations will make a difference. We are going to head to the panhandle of Florida with some of the crew guys from the R+L Carriers team between the [Texas NHRA] FallNationals and the [Ford Performance NHRA] Nationals.”

 
The Harts and Burnyzz Speed Shop will be collecting donations from now until Oct.  23. They are encouraging anyone to bring a bag or small box of donations, and in return for this act of generosity, fans will receive a Josh Hart Racing shirt (while supplies last). Donations can be dropped off at Burnyzz Speed Shop (1 Aspen Road, Ocala, FL, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m). The Harts are going to match every donation.
 
Accepted items include: 
Non-perishable food: canned goods, dried foods, etc.
Water: Clean drinking water and filters
Baby supplies: diapers, wipes, formula
Hygiene products: soap, toothpaste, feminine hygiene items
Cleaning supplies: bleach, disinfectants, gloves
First-aid supplies: bandages, antiseptics, medical gloves