Full Throttle

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) - The Atlanta Motor Speedway looks as if it was in a high-speed crash.

“Everything but the track surface has suffered some kind of damage… There are some buildings that will have to be torn down,” said Speedway President Ed Clark, who estimated $25 million to $40 million in damage at the speedway.

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 bowl shape of the speedway helped the tornado form and it eventually remained on the ground for about four miles, also hitting the Tara Field airport in Hampton, the National Weather Service said. Four planes were overturned and two hangars were damaged at the airport.

Looks like Mother Nature decided to do a little “Bump Drafting” of her own. Photos of the damages are available here.