The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was set to return to the legendary North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday night, but that return will have to wait a little bit longer as a result of the catastrophic damage that Western North Carolina has suffered after Hurricane Helene. NASCAR officials announced Monday afternoon that Saturday’s race has been “postponed indefinitely.”

Western North Carolina has been hit hard with massive flooding and landslides from Hurricane Helene last weekend. All roads leading to the region are currently closed, including the roads that race teams and fans would take to North Wilkesboro Speedway. The decision was made in cooperation with local authorities to ensure all local emergency resources remain dedicated to clean-up and recovery efforts.

North Wilkesboro Speedway itself did not sustain any damage.

In the meantime, speedway officials confirmed to FloRacing that the facility is being used to aid in the rescue and cleanup efforts in Western North Carolina. On Monday, the facility was feeding 120 line workers and will be feeding others throughout the rescue/cleanup efforts. 

Starting on Tuesday, the track will also be a drop-off location for donations to help the citizens of Western North Carolina. The track is receiving water, non-perishable food items, new bedding, personal hygiene items, flashlights, batteries, cell phone chargers and more. 

Donations can be dropped off at North Wilkesboro Speedway between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. this Tuesday through Sunday. Items will be distributed through Wilkes County Emergency Management and Samaritan's Purse to communities in need.

While NASCAR and North Wilkesboro Speedway work to figure out a possible date to reschedule the Brushy Mountain Powersports 150, there’s now only two scheduled races remaining. The next scheduled race for the series will be the World Series 150 at Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Sunday, October 13. The Tour will then head south to Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 26. 

Two-time and defending NWMT champion Ron Silk currently leads three-time champion Justin Bonsignore by 11 points and the Tour’s most recent winner, Patrick Emerling, by 16 points.