There had been growing hope that the 2020 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Fourth of July weekend could be run with fans in attendance, however on Thursday, the speedway announced that the facility will not be open to fans during the Brickyard 400 weekend.
“While we certainly worked diligently to run our events with spectators, we reached a point where we needed to make a final decision because the race weekend is less than a month away,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President & CEO Mark Miles said in a press release. “Today it’s not possible to be confident that Indianapolis will be at Stage 5 of the state’s reopening plan by the Fourth of July weekend.
“We are extremely appreciative of the time and expertise Governor Holcomb, Mayor Hogsett and state and local public health officials have given us over the last few months. This was a collaborative process and a decision we’re all aligned with after thorough review of the situation. We remain committed to welcoming the world’s greatest fans to the Speedway for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in late August.”
Stage 5 of the reopening plan for Indiana during the COVID-19 pandemic allows for sporting venues to open with social distancing guidelines and is scheduled to go into effect July 4th, but the county that the speedway is in has had a slower reopening schedule.
There have been plenty of rumored upcoming NASCAR events to potentially have live audience in the stands, but no official announcements have been made as of Thursday.
