NASCAR and Watkins Glen Int'l are in discussions with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration to try to get a waiver for the motorsports industry regarding the state's quarantine rule that currently includes North Carolina, according to sources. Cuomo last week implemented a rule mandating that residents of certain states with spiking coronavirus cases must quarantine for two weeks if they travel to New York. North Carolina, where the majority of the NASCAR industry is based, is one of those states. NASCAR’s annual race weekend at WGI is slated for August, presenting an obvious issue. Without a waiver, the idea of having teams quarantine seems highly unlikely for multiple reasons, so a cancellation could not be ruled out. There is a precedent, as Cuomo granted a waiver to players from the Mets and Yankees as they returned from Florida. However, the NASCAR industry entails more than 500 people on a normal race weekend, and the sport has not been doing uniform coronavirus testing for all competitors and at-track participants, which could give Cuomo pause. Given how New York has suddenly become a state with a low amount of coronavirus cases, NASCAR was believed to also be interested in talking to Cuomo about possibly having fans at the WGI race weekend. Whether that has been impacted by the new quarantine rule is unclear.
