The first six races back will take place in the Carolinas and Virginias without fans in attendanceGETTY IMAGES
The NASCAR Cup Series tentatively will resume its '20 season on May 17 at Darlington Raceway as part of a "new-look makeshift schedule" given to teams this week that includes mid-week events and has races set "primarily in the Southeast," according to Matt Weaver of AUTOWEEK. The first six races back "will take place in the Carolinas and Virginias without fans in attendance." The schedule given to teams shows races on May 17 and 20 at Darlington, while Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts races on May 24 and 27. The series would then head to Martinsville on May 31, then to Bristol on June 3. The schedule will "not resemble its original complexion." The first four races taking place at Darlington and Charlotte are a "matter of logistical convenience." While the "exact details are expected to be released this week, NASCAR is expected to place limits on organizational employees permitted on the grounds of the first several events." Sources said that "face masks and temperature checks every time someone reenters a facility will be among the regulations." The races will be "unlikely to contain live pit stops, which would mean five additional crew members not even needed at the track" (AUTOWEEK.com, 4/28). In Charlotte, Scott Fowler notes sponsors, media and track personnel "would all be dramatically limited" with this revised schedule. However, races "would still be on TV, allowing race teams to reap the rewards of the television contracts that keep NASCAR solvent" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/29).
STATE APPROVAL: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper yesterday said that NASCAR "can go forward with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway without fans in attendance" on May 24 "unless health conditions deteriorate in the state." Cooper said that he and state public health officials have held "discussions with NASCAR and the speedway located in Concord regarding safety protocols for staging the race." He added that the state "offered input on NASCAR’s plan, but he believes the race can go forward on Memorial Day weekend" (AP, 4/28).
