NASCAR's All-Star Race last night at Bristol Motor Speedway featured the "largest number of spectators for a sporting event since the onset of the pandemic," with attendance estimated at 22,000. Fans were "required to wear face masks in the commons area" of the track, and several fans "kept their masks on in the assigned seating areas." Despite the "science fiction-like circumstances and over 90-degree heat, there was a festive atmosphere around the many parking lots and campgrounds." Meanwhile, beginning around 4:00pm ET, a "small plane circled outside the facility for a couple hours trailing a Confederate flag with the Sons of Confederate Veterans logo." The same group "paid for a similar display, which featured the words 'Defund NASCAR,' earlier this season at Talladega" (BRISTOL HERALD COURIER, 7/16).
Although many fans in the souvenir area were "not wearing masks, the lines of spectators waiting to enter the track showed practically universal compliance with the mask requirement." All tickets were "handled digitally, as were transactions at concession stands, in attempts to limit physical contact." Officials reported "no issues at track entrances" (USA TODAY, 7/16).
