Update: Official word from Drive Petty representative is that the Exotic Driving Experience plans to reopen on May 1. They gave us this statement:

“As of today, the plan is to resume EDE operations in Orlando. However, we are evaluating the situation during the ongoing FHP investigation.”

That sounds like hedging to me. If the FHP or OSHA finds safety issues with the track and if Drive Petty decide to make changes, it might be August 9th before they get it done.

I personally think EDE should stay closed at least until the investigation is complete and a safety specialist can be brought in to make changes. With the track closing so soon, it probably is not worth it financially for Drive Petty or Disney.

After the tragic fatal crash at Walt Disney World Speedway earlier this month, there was a lot of debate about whether the Exotic Driving Experience attraction should close for good. Disney had already told Drive Petty Enterprises, who operates the racing car inspired attractions, that August 9th was the last day of operations for the track.

It looks like we have our answer for at least one of the two attractions. A local news live report earlier tonight showed workers loading the remaining exotic super cars on a trailer for transport. The Walt Disney World Speedway Exotic Car Course has also been removed from the company’s website.

Update: the NASCAR inspired Richard Petty Driving Experience re-opened yesterday and will likely operate until the Walt Disney World Speedway officially closes on August 9th.

As we reported earlier, a Walt Disney World Speedway employee riding in a Lamborghini was killed when the driver lost control and crashed into a guardrail in a high speed portion of the track. While we are still waiting for the final report from the FHP and OSHA, the lack of any safety device protection around a guardrail system that was designed for cars driving the other way around the track, looks to be a contributing factor to the seriousness of the fatal injuries. There are also questions as to who was regulating the track to make sure it was operating in a safe manner for guests and workers.

This is a developing story and will be updated as we get more details.