Revisiting No-Fan NASCAR

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

A while back, I penned a piece describing my mixed feelings about NASCAR running without fans during the pandemic.

Now, a few weeks on, I have a bit more clarity.

I was worried that even with NASCAR’s safety protocols in place, the coronavirus might spread among crew. I was also worried about contact between the safety crews and a driver after a crash that could lead to virus spread (this worry didn’t make the final edit).

Still, I didn’t think it would be as weird to be fan-less than it would be for other sports. NASCAR fan noise is usually drowned out by the roar of the engines, and some tracks draw sparse crowds anyway.

On that count, I was right – the broadcast experience hasn’t been too strange, whether a race is completely sans fans or a small amount of fans are allowed in with social distancing in mind (as has happened once or twice this season).

In fact, I’m enjoying the relative sense of normalcy the racing has brought. Yes, the absence of fans is noticeable, but the cars are just as fast and loud as before, the racing just as compelling. And so far, as far as I know, the safety protocols have helped keep the virus at bay. NASCAR appears to have experienced one COVID case involving a NASCAR employee in March, while a few non-traveling employees of Stewart-Hass tested positive more recently.

Thus far, no one involved in travel to tracks or who has otherwise attended a race in person has tested positive, at least as far as can be ascertained from public reports.

Racing is a unique sport – the drivers are socially distanced while in their cars, and at some tracks, fans will be able to socially distance if they’re allowed in, due to the large size of tracks and the properties they occupy.

You couldn’t pay me to go to a bar right now, but I’d consider paying for IndyCar at Road America, assuming I could stay outdoors and away from strangers. The distance part is possible at RA, but the best viewing spots do get crowded, so I’m on the fence about attending. Still, the fact I’d even consider it speaks to racing’s uniqueness.

On the other hand, I’ve heard reports that the Indy 500 will still have a sizeable crowd, and that concerns me. Hopefully, the organizers can keep people safely apart.

I’m getting ahead of myself a bit, thinking of fans at the races. For now, I’ve been happy to see some sort of live sports back, and NASCAR and other forms of racing might just be safer, in terms of virus spread, than other sports. I thought golf would be, too, but the PGA has suffered a spate of recent positive tests.

I still miss the fans, and I still can’t wait for the day that full crowds can be safely admitted to the grandstands. But whether it’s because I’m desperate for sports, or because NASCAR has been safe (and lucky) so far, or because I’m simply rediscovering the race fan in me, I’m feeling better about racing returning to the track during a pandemic. Better than I feel about other sports.

I also wrote this: “It’s not just about safety. It’s also about optics. Should entertainment businesses, and sports is essentially entertainment, be active when lots of people are dying? Or is it a necessary distraction from the grim news for those of us at home? Testing plays a part, too. Why should a pro-sports league have access to tests when the general public is struggling to get access to testing? That’s not necessarily a NASCAR-specific question, but it applies to all sports.”

I’m still not sure how I feel about sports taking place while the pandemic rages on, especially here in the U.S., where the numbers are still bad. But I’m leaning towards the distraction element as being a good thing. NASCAR being on TV won’t save lives or heal the sick, but it gives a mental health boost to those of us stuck at home, whether we’re home to avoid catching the virus or because we’re fighting a case of it.

If NASCAR garners better-than-usual TV ratings because of it, so be it. It may seem weird for a corporation to take advantage of a pandemic to possibly profit, but it’s doubtful NASCAR brass would prefer it that way. NASCAR simply got lucky that its sport lends itself to social distancing, and therefore it can give us those of us with now nonexistent social lives some semblance of entertainment – and a small reminder of normalcy.

The world is still, metaphorically speaking, on fire. If watching cars go in circles at high speeds for three hours takes our minds off of that, well, that’s probably more of a good thing than bad.

NASCAR, like all sports, is better with fans in attendance. But for now, I’ll take it as is.

As Darrell Waltrip said: “Boogity, boogity, boogity.”

[Image: Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • Hondaaustin Hondaaustin on Jun 30, 2020

    I just wish I could walk across the street to IMS this weekend for an awesome line-up of racing... but unfortunately, no fans this weekend...maybe someone will let me in. (Yes, I live across the street from the speedway.)

  • Old_WRX Old_WRX on Jul 01, 2020

    Has anyone actually heard where they came up with 6 feet as the safe distance? I've seen two studies of how far contagion can travel. Several years ago I saw a study done on how far contagion can travel from a sneeze or cough (?); the conclusion of that study was: 30 feet. A study I saw more recently concluded 23 to 27 feet. I have yet to see or hear any objective info suggesting that 6 feet of physical distance is....

    • Carlisimo Carlisimo on Jul 02, 2020

      It's based on how far droplets above some size (5 or 20 µm to 100 µm) travel before landing when someone breathes or talks normally. The 6 ft figure has been used for years, usually in the context of the flu. Coughs and sneezes do send them out something like 30 ft - if you're going out with symptoms like that, heavens help everybody else. Shouting and and singing are a little worse than 6 ft; I remember reading that after a choir superspreader event.

  • Lorenzo The unspoken killer is that batteries can't be repaired after a fender-bender and the cars are totaled by insurance companies. Very quickly, insurance premiums will be bigger than the the monthly payment, killing all sales. People will be snapping up all the clunkers Tim Healey can find.
  • Lorenzo Massachusetts - with the start/finish line at the tip of Cape Cod.
  • RHD Welcome to TTAH/K, also known as TTAUC (The truth about used cars). There is a hell of a lot of interesting auto news that does not make it to this website.
  • Jkross22 EV makers are hosed. How much bigger is the EV market right now than it already is? Tesla is holding all the cards... existing customer base, no dealers to contend with, largest EV fleet and the only one with a reliable (although more crowded) charging network when you're on the road. They're also the most agile with pricing. I have no idea what BMW, Audi, H/K and Merc are thinking and their sales reflect that. Tesla isn't for me, but I see the appeal. They are the EV for people who really just want a Tesla, which is most EV customers. Rivian and Polestar and Lucid are all in trouble. They'll likely have to be acquired to survive. They probably know it too.
  • Lorenzo The Renaissance Center was spearheaded by Henry Ford II to revitalize the Detroit waterfront. The round towers were a huge mistake, with inefficient floorplans. The space is largely unusable, and rental agents were having trouble renting it out.GM didn't know that, or do research, when they bought it. They just wanted to steal thunder from Ford by making it their new headquarters. Since they now own it, GM will need to tear down the "silver silos" as un-rentable, and take a financial bath.Somewhere, the ghost of Alfred P. Sloan is weeping.
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