Security in place at CMS ahead of Coca-Cola 600

After the deadly terror attack in Manchester, England, which had claimed 22 lives by Tuesday night, WBTV is asking if upcoming events here in Charlotte need to take extra precautions.

The attack came as crowds of people left an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena, and the United Kingdom raised its threat level to "critical" Tuesday.

With the big race coming up this weekend, we went to Charlotte Motor Speedway to see if any extra security is going to be in place.

CMS officials say they have a plan in place. They say it’s something they work on all year to make sure an event like the Coca-Cola 600 is as safe as can be.

Tuesday, campers were already being parked outside of the Speedway.

“Great friends, great time," said race fan Sam North, "we just have a good time.”

North is in town from New York. She says she’s been coming down here for races for the past 20 years. Not once has she worried about her safety at the Speedway, and she credits security for keeping everyone safe.

“They make their presence known. You know they’re around. You know that if you need them you can call them,” North said.

Monday night's attack in England is proof that no target is off limits for terror, but Speedway officials say there’s nothing to worry about there.

"We’ve got a great plan in place. We certainly follow the lead of the Homeland Security Department and the FBI, SBI,” said CMS' Scott Cooper.

Cooper says uniformed officers and undercover law enforcement will be at the track. Bomb-sniffing dogs will also be nearby, and all coolers will be checked at the entrances.

“Outside of my own home, if there was a safe place I wanted to be on Sunday, it’s gonna be at the Coca-Cola 600,” Cooper said.

The NASCAR fans who were already in town seem to agree - they won’t let what happened in Manchester ruin race day.

“It’s unfortunate, but hopefully things are a bit safer over here,” said Mike Enos.

“I try not to worry about that," North said. "It takes way from a good time.”

Cooper added that sometimes the best security is the other fans at the track. He encourages all guests to report anything suspicious to an officer at the Speedway.

This story was originally published May 24, 2017 at 5:56 AM with the headline "Security in place at CMS ahead of Coca-Cola 600."