PUNTA GORDA — Preparations for race night at the Punta Gorda Speedway take many different forms. Employees get the track ready and stick around to help racers practice. Vendors truck in beer and bread. Out-of-town competitors book hotel rooms.

In Florida’s rainy season, there’s always been the possibility that weather would disrupt all these plans. It has happened numerous times since the track opened in 1990. This year, the track’s biggest problem hasn’t been the storms themselves but their result: a flooded front parking lot.