NASCAR was, along with UFC, one of the first major American sports leagues to return to action amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it is set to be the first to bring fans back to the events, albeit in a very limited capacity.
NASCAR announced on Tuesday that they would be inviting 1,000 service members from the Homestead-Miami area to the Dixie Vodka 400 on June 14 and 5,000 locals from the area around Talladega, Alabama to the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 21, along with a few reserved camper spots outside the track. They also offered some details on what precautions will be taken, including temperature checks and the requirement of facemasks to be worn.
NASCAR’s modified event procedures, protocols and number of attendees have been finalized with guidance from public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal officials. All guests in attendance will be screened before entering, required to wear face coverings, mandated to social distance at 6 feet, and will not have access to the infield, among other revised operational protocols. NASCAR will continue to adapt and improve its procedures to ensure they are effective and can be scaled to support an increased number of fans in the future.
NASCAR’s massive outdoor grandstands make them uniquely prepared to introduce small numbers of fans while still maintaining distancing guidelines, but how strictly (and, just generally, how) they enforce those regulations will be worth watching. NASCAR has been pretty quiet about plans beyond the near future for some time, as they have made sure not to over-extend themselves, and as such we don’t know how races beyond June’s race at Talladega will be handled regarding fans in attendance.
