DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – Security preparations are underway for the thousand of fans who will be attending the race this upcoming weekend.
It’s that time of the year again, where fans will attend the annual Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, but to make sure everyone has a good time, officials with the Darlington County sheriff’s office tell News13 they have a specific plan in place.
“We’re working with approximately 15 other agencies to bring those extra deputies and ensure that we’ve got enough personnel and law enforcement here at this facility,” said Lt. Kilgo.
Nearly 150 law enforcement officers will be on site starting Thursday.
“We will have dogs out there that are trained to sniff out anything that’s peculiar and those type of things,” said president of Darlington Raceway, Kerry Tharp.
Organizers said fans will be checked once they come in and also see a new sign around the property.
“We have signage all over the property and it let’s people know who to text, who to call and if they see something, they should say something” said Tharp.
Not only are safety plans in place but also weather preparations in case of a storm.
“Our first and foremost responsibility is the well-being of our fans. We will always make sure that’s the most important thing we do, but right now it looks like we’re going to have a pretty good weekend of weather here at Darlington,” said Tharp.
Race weekend will begin this Friday and the Southern 500 will be on Sunday, September 1st.
Count on News13 to keep you covered all weekend on air and online.