NASCAR to Allow Fans Again Beginning Sunday
It’s been a busy month for NASCAR since the season resumed back on May 17. We’ve seen two races at Darlington, followed by two at Charlotte. We saw a race at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile, Bristol Motor Speedway and then the run at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. Wednesday night, the Blu Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 takes place from Martinsville Speedway to mark the seventh race since the circuit started up again. That marks the second race of the week with another one coming over the weekend. There is some positive news on that front as the circuit heads to the Sunshine State.
While the previous races, and the run at Martinsville Wednesday, have been run without fans in attendance, that is going to change. Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, coming to you live from Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday afternoon, will be the first race since the FanShield 500 at Phoenix March 8 to have any fans in attendance. The first guests allowed will be 1,000 service members from the Homestead Air Reserve Base and the U.S. Southern Command, located in Doral. They will be allowed to sit in the grandstands for the race, giving an actual live viewing audience to drivers on the circuit for the first time in over three months.
In addition, the GEICO 500, coming to you from Talladega Speedway in Talladega, Alabama on June 21, will also allow fans in to see the race. NASCAR is going to allow 5,000 fans in the grandstands for that race with limited motorhome and camping spots available for the race Father’s Day weekend. As part of that concession by the circuit, NASCAR has said that fans will be screened before entering, must maintain six feet of separation under social distancing guidelines and have to wear masks or other face coverings. In addition, the fans will not have access to the infield along with other protocols that have been laid out.
NASCAR took plenty of time to figure out the best way to bring fans back to the racetrack. The circuit spoke with public health officials, medical experts along with local, state and federal officials before making that decision. In a statement made Tuesday, Daryl Wolfe, the executive vice president along with Chief Operations and Sales Officer for NASCAR, had this to say:
“We have tremendous respect and appreciation for the responsibility that comes with integrating guests back into our events. We believe implementing this methodical process is an important step forward for the sport and the future of live sporting events. The passion and unwavering support of our industry and fans is the reason we race each weekend and we look forward to slowly and responsibly welcoming them back at select events.”
It's a good strategy by NASCAR, which has been watched closely by most of the other professional sports leagues since its return to the asphalt last month. Things have gone fairly smoothly for them so far and that fact has proven to be instrumental to their thought process. Having fans back will not only help the bottom line but also help bolster the viewing audience. It also gives hope to the NBA, NHL, the NFL and, if they ever get their act together, MLB, that they could potentially have fans in the audience, either later this season or in time for the start of their 2020-21 campaigns.
Things have been a long, hard road but we’re finally starting to see things pay dividends with the return of some sports and the pending returns of others. It’s a step in the right direction and serves as the next bit step for other sports to use as a blueprint for their own potential restarts.
