NASCAR is ready to reopen to fans.
One of the few sports in the United States to run in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR is now the largest to allow fans to return as more states relax their business shutdowns.
NASCAR decided a limited number of fans can attend races this month at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. NASCAR says all fans will be screened before entering, required to wear face coverings, mandated to social distance at six feet, and will not have access to the infield, among other revised operational protocols.
“It’s a cautious, conservative approach … we feel confident in our plan,” said Daryl Wolfe, NASCAR executive vice president and chief sales and operations officer.
NASCAR has returned to racing, but had not allowed fans inside the tracks in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
“One of the things that I’m kind of proud of to see is we’re going to have a clean team, a clean team that’s at track constantly cleaning everything very visibly for every guest that’s there to know we’re doing everything we can to keep them safe,” said John Bobo, NASCAR vice president of racing operations.
Bobo declined to reveal if NASCAR has had anyone test positive for COVID-19 since racing resumed May 17 at Darlington Raceway.
The Cup Series race Wednesday night at Martinsville Speedway, Viginia and a doubleheader weekend June 27 and 28 at Pocono Raceway, Pennsylvania will be held without fans.
Meanwhile, the familiar scene of Confederate flags waved by fans at NASCAR tracks could soon end.
Bubba Wallace – the lone black driver in the sport – declared it is time for the stock car series to ban the flag at its properties and formally distance itself from what for millions is a symbol of slavery and racism.
“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them,” he said.