Man jailed after allegedly leaving message threatening to blow up Darlington Raceway
A man is currently being held in the Darlington County Detention Center after he allegedly threatened to blow up Darlington Raceway.
Per the Darlington County Sheriff’s office, Michael Donavan Avin left a threatening message on the answering machine at Darlington Raceway on April 27. Per the investigators, Avin “did leave a message on the answering machine describing a possible explosive device and the results it may create to further his cause. Since this event took place, the defendant has delivered a letter to another location in Darlington County, advising that he has access to 125 tons of bomb making materials.”
Avin has been charged with possession and threatening or attempting use of a weapon of mass destruction for an act of terrorism.
Darlington Raceway has hosted Cup Series races since 1950 and is the traditional Labor Day race weekend site for NASCAR’s Cup Series. The track is hosting Cup Series races on Sunday, May 17 and Wednesday, May 20, as NASCAR restarts its season during the coronavirus pandemic.
Darlington was selected as the site of NASCAR’s return because of it’s close proximity (approximately 90 miles) to the greater Charlotte area where most NASCAR teams are based and because of South Carolina’s willingness to host a sporting event in the months after the pandemic began in the United States.
NASCAR last raced on March 8 at Phoenix Raceway.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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