While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought an end to live sports temporarily, it appears NASCAR is heading toward a return without fans in the stands.
Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott spoke with the sanctioning body about a potential return at Texas Motor Speedway without fans in the stands. Abbott, in a Tweet, said the race would happen, “Very soon.”
Just spoke to @NASCAR leaders.
They’re working to return to Texas at Texas Motor Speedway very soon.
I hope to announce the exciting details in the near future.
To prevent spread of #COVID19 it will be without fans.
But they will put on a great show for TV.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 20, 2020
On the heels of Abbott’s tweet, Texas Motor Speedway President & General Manager Eddie Gossage released a statement:
“Texas Governor Greg Abbott has given NASCAR the green flag to race, and our sport is eager to get back on track. Texas Motor Speedway will work aggressively with the sanctioning bodies and TV networks to give American society, as well as people around the world, a positive distraction during this crisis. A non-spectator event is not perfect because in our sport, the fans come first. But circumstances are such that this is a novel answer for the return of the sport for now. We are now working on a hard date.
“Our sport is unique because the competitors are inside the race cars with no body-to-body contact like most other sports. That is a distinct advantage over other sports and why you will likely see auto racing as the first live sport returning to action. We appreciate the Governor’s support for the return of racing at Texas Motor Speedway very soon. He’s been to the races here before and has been an admirable leader throughout this crisis.”
