At least 1 dead in crash on I-71 near Kentucky Speedway

At least one person is dead following a crash Thursday morning on Interstate 71 near the Kentucky Speedway.The crash happened about 10:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the highway near the Sparta/Warsaw exit.Police said that a 63-year-old man from Elyia, Ohio, was killed in the crash.Other crashes in the area, including one on Interstate 71 about 20 miles out near Verona, caused additional headaches. “There was a wreck on (Interstate) 71-75 up there and there was another wreck in Verona. We've been in traffic for about two hours,” said driver Gary Brown. Heavy rain exacerbated the problem, Gallatin County Sheriff Josh Neale said. “(The rain) caused vehicles to spin out of control, leave the roadway, enter ditches and then, north near the county line, we had a tractor-trailer overturn with steel on it, which shut the interstate down northbound for a couple of hours,” Neale said. The heavy traffic happened on Kentucky Speedway’s signature weekend, with race day right around the corner. More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the events this weekend.

At least one person is dead following a crash Thursday morning on Interstate 71 near the Kentucky Speedway.

The crash happened about 10:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the highway near the Sparta/Warsaw exit.


Police said that a 63-year-old man from Elyia, Ohio, was killed in the crash.

Other crashes in the area, including one on Interstate 71 about 20 miles out near Verona, caused additional headaches.

“There was a wreck on (Interstate) 71-75 up there and there was another wreck in Verona. We've been in traffic for about two hours,” said driver Gary Brown.

Heavy rain exacerbated the problem, Gallatin County Sheriff Josh Neale said.

“(The rain) caused vehicles to spin out of control, leave the roadway, enter ditches and then, north near the county line, we had a tractor-trailer overturn with steel on it, which shut the interstate down northbound for a couple of hours,” Neale said.

The heavy traffic happened on Kentucky Speedway’s signature weekend, with race day right around the corner. More than 80,000 people are expected to attend the events this weekend.