Well, that was quick. Not even one lap into the first NASCAR race following a 10-week hiatus because of the coronavirus outbreak, a car hit the wall at Darlington Raceway and the caution flag came out.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed on the very first lap of The Real Heroes 400, the Cup Series’ first race since March 8. Darlington’s 1.366-mile track is challenging, abrasive and nicknamed “Too Tough To Tame,” and it seemed likely that rusty drivers might need a minute to get acclimated to their cars — especially with no practice or qualifying.
But Stenhouse and his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet team — which started 22nd — traveled all the way down to the South Carolina track from the Charlotte area to run not even a full lap before having to call it a day.
RETWEET IF YOU'RE WATCHING! WE ARE RACING AT DARLINGTON.
On the inside of the track, it looked like Stenhouse was running nearly four-wide coming out of Turn 2 when he and another car made contact, which sent the No. 47 car head-first into the inside wall and SAFER barrier. It was a lot of damage to that car, including flames flying out the back, and it brought out the caution flag on Lap 1.
And not long after, the Associated Press‘ Jenna Fryer, one of four reporters at the track, tweeted a photo of Stenhouse’s car headed to the garage. And that was it. His and the team’s day was done before they even completed a single lap.
NASCAR won’t have coronavirus tests at tracks, so here’s its plan if someone tests positive.
In the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR is returning to the race track for the first time since March 8 with the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
Like with just about every other sports organization, the coronavirus outbreak forced NASCAR to suspend its season. But that hiatus lasted for 10 weeks and eight races as officials tried to determine if racing could safely and reasonably come back.
Now, with nine upcoming Cup Series races announced through June 21, NASCAR says it “has a plan in place to minimize any risks associated with the virus.”
“I don’t foresee any further shutdown for us,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said Saturday on the TODAY show. “There are all kinds of different scenario plannings that we’ve done for both ourselves, our own officials, as well as the race teams, productions people. It takes a village to put on a NASCAR race, but it’ll be a smaller village.”
But with nearly 1.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 88,000 deaths in the U.S., per USA TODAY‘s tracking, uncertainty about the future is ever-present, and people have questions. That’s true of NASCAR and general sports fans who are pumped for competition to resume but aren’t sure how exactly things will work or how these athletes will be kept safe while competing over an extended period of time.
So here’s our breakdown explaining why NASCAR says it isn’t providing on-site testing, how it’s trying to keep the essential personnel at the track safe and what the plan is if someone does test positive.
NASCAR will not have testing on-site available.
Unlike other sports organizations — such as Major League Baseball, which has said it needs to be able to frequently test players and personnel for COVID-19 (including rapid point-of-contact testing) and receive the results quickly before competing — NASCAR will not have on-site testing. And it’s directly related to nationwide access to tests, or lack thereof.
NASCAR vice president of racing operations John Bobo said during a media teleconference on April 30:
“Those tests remain in short supply. Getting results can take two to three days. Really those tests should be targeted for people most in need.”
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champ Kyle Busch misspoke when he told SiriusXM Radio this week that antibody testing will be an option. It won’t be, and Bobo explained on the April call with reporters that the infectious disease experts NASCAR consulted with raised questions about whether a positive antibody test actually translates to immunity. There are also concerns about false positives.
But for races to happen, NASCAR still had to establish some health and safety protocols.
The driver of Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports hauler has their temperature checked by a NASCAR official at Darlington Raceway on Saturday. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Health screenings: Though not the same as testing, there will be health screenings, including temperature checks, for people entering and exiting the track and randomly inside the venue. Medical professionals will evaluate everyone and will decide if athletes are able to compete utilizing additional factors, like heart rate and pulse oxygenation, to make a decision, FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass reported.
Mandatory PPE: Throughout the race days, people at the track will be required to use personal protective equipment, like masks.
No qualifying or practice: The only exception to this in the first four Cup Series races back is the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, which will have qualifying.
No fans: That’s a given. For the first four Cup Series races NASCAR initially announced in its return and the subsequent five through June 21 announced Thursday, fans will not be in attendance. Additionally, NASCAR said there will be “strict limits” for who is allowed at the tracks and infields.
NASCAR president Steve Phelps told the TODAY show Saturday:
“If you think about a normal NASCAR race, we have between 2,000 and 2,500 people who will be part of putting a race on. That number will be down to about 900. There’s a footprint that is there. Only essential personnel will be allowed to be in the footprint. I am not essential personnel; I will not be in the footprint.”
Social distancing: Garage and hauler areas will be more spread out with at least a six-foot buffer required between haulers and race cars. Once drivers are at the track, they will go to their motorhomes and stay there until it’s time to get behind the wheel. NASCAR is also encouraging teams to minimize internal contact, like between pit crews and road crews, and at-track work spaces will be distanced from each other.
“With the way it’s gonna go on Sunday, I’m gonna get to the race track that morning, sit in my motorhome, and then when it’s time to go out there, I’m walking right to my car,” Ryan Blaney explained on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. “And when I’m done, I’m walking right back. There’s gonna be really limited contact.”
Roster limits: Teams are limited to 16 people per car roster, and that includes the driver, crew chief, team owner and spotter.
Contact tracing: Team members and other personnel at the tracks are being asked to keep a log of everyone they physically interact with with throughout race day, so if someone does test positive at some point, they’ll know who they’ve been in contact with.
One-day shows: NASCAR’s first four Cup Series races announced in its return were specifically designed to be one-day trips, so the tracks are within driving distance of the sport’s base in Charlotte.
Weekend schedules related to practice, qualifying and one-day trips for the second slate of upcoming races have not been announced yet.
Social distancing signage at Darlington Raceway as it prepares to re-open for the Real Heroes 400 on Sunday. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
So what if a NASCAR team member shows symptoms or thinks they need a test?
While NASCAR is not testing drivers and other personnel, it said its medical liaisons can provide counsel and support for someone who might need a test or help getting one. It’s likely that every potential situation will be different, and let’s not forget that drivers and team members have their own doctors to consult too.
What happens if someone who’s been to a NASCAR race tests positive for COVID-19?
This is where that contact tracing log will help. If someone tests positive for the novel coronavirus, NASCAR said that person will likely have to self-isolate for at least 14 days, along with anyone they’ve had contact with at the track.
Phelps described NASCAR’s plan as “rock solid” on the TODAY show, explaining:
“We’ve looked at scenario planning for hundreds of different things happening, including, obviously, someone showing symptoms of having the virus. So protocol’s in place that would allow for us to have that person removed.”
NASCAR has a replacement plan for drivers or team members who test positive.
Drivers and crews are assigned specific, staggered times to report to the track for an entry screening. Per NBC Sports, drivers at Darlington are required to arrive at least four hours before the green flag, so that if someone fails their health screening and cannot compete, there is enough time for a backup driver to get to the track and race.
As Chad Knaus, the crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 Chevrolet team, explained while on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday, his team has a backup roster already and is actively monitoring the health of the members on it just in case.
He continued:
“Let’s say Joe Mechanic gets up on Sunday morning, and he’s getting ready to drive to Darlington and he’s got a fever. He calls me, and I tell Joe to stay home, and we call Bob and bring him in. We call the proper people at NASCAR that this person has already been cleared and tested, and we’re ready to rock and roll with this fellow. That’s how we’re doing it.
“I hope we don’t have to deal with that, but we like to be prepared nonetheless in a case of emergency. We’ve dealt with everything from drivers all the way down to crew chiefs.”
Workers clean areas of the NASCAR Cup Series garage area at Darlington Raceway on Saturday before its first race back during the coronavirus pandemic. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
But what if more than one person on the same NASCAR team tests positive?
Judging by the responses Bobo and Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, gave in April, they don’t have all the answers to this one. Bobo said:
“If there are multiple positives, of course we’re obviously going to look at everything that’s gone on around there and investigate, see what we need to do to continue to be safe.”
NASCAR already has a plan in place for a driver or crew member returning after self-isolating.
If a team member cannot compete after testing positive or coming into contact with someone who has, the process for that person returning is the same as for any other medical issue. NASCAR said that person will have to be cleared to compete by their physician and then inform the medical liaisons of that before coming back.
And a driver (probably) won’t be penalized in NASCAR’s playoffs for missing a race.
Similarly, the governing body already has a system set up where drivers who miss races because of an injury or illness can apply for a waiver to be deemed playoff- and championship-eligible. These are granted fairly freely and are all but guaranteed if a driver has to miss some time for coronavirus-related reasons.
Combine that with the 1.366-mile South Carolina track being nicknamed “Too Tough To Tame” and the opening laps Sunday could get a little dicey. So Dale Earnhardt Jr. offered some advice.
“If you have to give up a few spots in those first 10 laps just to understand what your car can and can’t do, it might be the wisest decision you make all day. …
“There’s just so much that can go wrong. Without practice, without qualifying, the teams are going to have to guess on the setup. This track is very abrasive, very rough, and it’s going to destroy the first couple sets of tires. … That, to me, is the most compelling part.”
The driver turned analyst is retired from full-time racing in the Cup Series, but he’s still been competing once a year in a second-tier XFINITY Series race. And in 2019, his lone annual race was at Darlington, so although he had the benefit of testing, practices and qualifying, he knows what it’s like to be a little out of practice ahead of a race at the challenging track. (He finished fifth in that race last August.)
Earnhardt also spoke about what impact the lack of fans could have on the environment at the track, which was a necessity for NASCAR to return. So far, all of the races announced through June 21 will be held without fans.
In the first installment of the sport’s return during the coronavirus outbreak, four races were announced: Two at Darlington and two at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including the iconic Coca-Cola 600. The next round of comeback races were announced Thursday and include trips to Talladega Superspeedway (Alabama), Bristol Motor Speedway (Tennessee) and Martinsville Speedway (Virginia).
"You can't go in there and look around and when you don't see fans think, 'Maybe this isn't as important.'"@DaleJr spoke with @miketirico on @NASCAR's return without fans in the stands — as the drivers continue their fight to win the championship. pic.twitter.com/C7wMig4Z9a
About the impact of empty grandstands and having only essential personnel in the garage or on pit road, Earnhardt said:
“That will play a huge role into the psyche of the race car driver. The fans bring a ton of energy. They remind you of [why] you’re there and what you’re competing for, that people are entertained by this, that people are wanting you to do well. When all that is gone, it can give you a false sense that this might not be as critical or as important.
“I think it’s going to be smart for the drivers to try to really pump themselves up. That fan interaction and energy is not going to be there. They’re going to have to find that somewhere else within themselves, their team, their crew chief. they’re going to need to be pumped up to understand this is a race to win! there’s a trophy on the line. There’s points, there’s repercussions of finishing well or bad, and this matters towards the ultimate championship goal at the end of the season.”
He continued:
“It’s going to be the weirdest experience they’ve had as drivers. They’ve never been in this situation before, where they’re not getting in any laps, they’re going to jump right out onto the track and try to complete the race. No one’s going to be there to celebrate it, to enjoy it.
“But under the circumstances, we need to get back to the racetrack. We need to get back on track and get our sport moving again. We need to get money moving again in our sport to help these teams survive, to help the sport survive. So it’s critical that we do this without fans.”
After missing eight races this spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR returns to the track Sunday at Darlington Raceway for the Real Heroes 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX). The next race will be Wednesday the 20th at Darlington, followed by two races at Charlotte.
NASCAR is back, and so is Kyle Busch in its lower-level series.
When NASCAR returns to the track after its 10-week hiatus because of the global coronavirus pandemic, it plans to have seven races in 11 days across the three national series, starting Sunday at Darlington Raceway.
And Kyle Busch — who’s so practically unbeatable in the lower series that there’s a $100,000 bounty out on him still — is going to compete in all of them.
The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series champion will run as many lower-level races as he’s allowed to each season — not every NASCAR fans loves that — and he’s actually the winningest driver in each with 96 XFINITY wins and 57 Truck wins. He’s even on a seven-race win streak in the Truck Series, dating back to the 2018 season.
Because of Busch’s experience in the Cup Series, NASCAR limits him to five races a year in each of the lower series, and he planned to do the max. But several of the events he planned to enter were originally scheduled for the spring and have since been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and NASCAR’s subsequent schedule redesign.
So Thursday while doing an interview on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio, Busch confirmed he plans to compete in NASCAR’s next seven races, all of which make up the first installment of the sport’s return.
“I’m running all of those. Every one of them that’s scheduled, I’m in. It’s going to be getting thrown to the wolves — that’s for sure.”
ICYMI: @KyleBusch detailed to @AdamSchein NASCAR's health protocols to keep everyone safe this weekend at Darlington & says he's planning on running all 7 races in 11 days pic.twitter.com/ckTg9BZFsC
— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) May 14, 2020
NASCAR’s first race back after the coronavirus-related break is Sundays’ Real Heroes 400 at Darlington. Here’s what Busch’s race schedule throughout the next two weeks looks like:
Sunday, May 17: Darlington, Cup Series (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX) Tuesday, May 19: Darlington, XFINITY Series (8 p.m. ET, FS1) Wednesday, May 20: Darlington, Cup Series (7 p.m. ET, FS1) Sunday, May 24: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Cup Series, Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, FOX) Monday, May 25: Charlotte, XFINITY Series (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1) Tuesday, May 26: Charlotte, Truck Series (8 p.m. ET, FS1) Wednesday, May 27: Charlotte, Cup Series (8 p.m. ET, FS1)
In addition to the first four Cup races of the 2020 season before the coronavirus outbreak, Busch competed in one Truck race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which he won, and one XFINITY at Phoenix Raceway, in which he finished third.
So after this lineup of races, he’ll be eligible for just two more XFINITY races and three Truck races.
In Busch’s seven races in 11 days, four are consecutive, which is not that different from regular weekends when he could, at most, compete in three series in three days. But he explained why he might actually be catching a break here, despite not racing since early March and no practice or qualifying this weekend.
On Sirius XM radio, he continued:
“When we go to these race tracks and we have practice and qualifying, we have practice and qualifying for every single one of those divisions. So with this, all you do is show up, you get in the vehicle and you run the race.
“So I feel as though it sounds really labor intensive and heavy, and man, that’s a lot. But in my mind, I’m kind of like, ‘Man, I don’t know if it’s really going to be that bad.’ But I’ll let you know when it’s all said and done.”
In his interview, Busch also detailed some of the COVID-19 safety measures that will be in place at the track, like social distancing protocols and health screenings for those entering and exiting the track. Although he mentioned antibody tests will be administered, NASCAR said that is not the case.
Previously, his four remaining XFINITY races were scheduled to be at Charlotte (rescheduled), Chicagoland Speedway (canceled), New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International.
His Truck races were supposed to be at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, but only events at the first two tracks have been rescheduled at this point.
NASCAR announced Thursday the second installment of its revised schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic with 12 races across its three national series now planned between May 30 and June 21.
Ryan Newman shared some details about his horrific Daytona 500 crash.
NASCAR driver Ryan Newman said on a Zoom call Thursday with reporters that doctors put him in a medically induced coma while being treated after he was in a horrific crash on the last lap of the 2020 Daytona 500 in February.
Newman also said they put a PICC line — or a peripherally inserted central catheter — in his shoulder, but that was the extent of his medical procedures. He said there were “multiple miracles – big miracles and little miracles, in my opinion – that aligned” for him to be able to walk out of the hospital less than 48 hours after the wreck.
Not a week after the wreck, the 42-year-old driver released a statement through his team, Roush Fenway Racing, saying that he was being treated for a head injury but he didn’t suffer any internal organ damage or broken bones.
On the call with reporters Thursday, he added that while some doctors diagnosed him with a concussion, they were not in agreement about it. And that’s led him to more casually describe his injury as a “bruised brain.”
Here is the final lap of the Daytona 500 in which Ryan Newman's car was flipped at the line.
About his medical situation at the time, the 19-year NASCAR veteran explained Thursday:
“They were trying to keep me in a somewhat of a medically-induced coma, from what I’ve been told, and that medicine kind of zoned me out. So I really don’t have any memories or recollection of any of my crash until I actually had my arms around my daughters walking out of the hospital. Again, when they give you those medicines and you’re knocked out, you don’t know what’s going on. I was able to walk out in the condition that I was and as I watched in the next, call it 24 hours, as I watched the crash and had to make myself believe what I had went through, I really looked to my dad to say, ‘Hey, did this really happen?’ …
“I was just treated so that I could be calm so that they would kind of numb my brain, so to speak, so that I could just sit there and rest. I wouldn’t call it a vegetative state, but I wasn’t a fruit either. I was meant to be relaxed.”
On the final lap of NASCAR’s season-opener, Newman was out front but in a three-way battle for the win with Ryan Blaney, who was right behind him, and eventual winner Denny Hamlin, who was on the outside of the track. Blaney made contact with the back of Newman’s car, saying after the race that their “bumpers hooked up wrong.”
Newman goes airborne after LaJoie crashed into him. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
The No. 6 Ford then slammed into the wall, was plowed into by Corey LaJoie from behind, went airborne and eventually landed upside down before sliding off the Daytona International Speedway track as flames and sparks shot out of it. After safety crews got Newman out of the car, an ambulance took him to a nearby Daytona Beach hospital, and Roush said he was in “serious condition.” He was released less than 48 hours later.
Newman attributed his survival and recovery NASCAR’s safety developments, as well as his helmet. He tried to detail what exactly happened inside his car during and with emergency crews after the crash, and he said he was “kind of hung upside-down in the car” and was “fighting the medical crew” trying to get him out of it.
However, that’s still what he’s been told. Newman said he doesn’t remember the crash, his time in the hospital or the majority of the race — which he noted could be because of his head injury or the medication doctors put him on.
About the crash and what was going on inside the cockpit, Newman said Thursday:
“I don’t have anything that is conclusive that says that [LaJoie’s] car hit my helmet. I do know that parts of the inside of my car hit my helmet and crushed it, so to speak. I don’t have any defined video that I can give you [a] 100 percent answer that says this is exactly the second that this happened. But I see the end result and that my helmet did have contact, my HANS [device] did have contact, and I was being moved backwards in my seat as [LaJoie’s] car was moving me forward.
“So I can’t honestly tell you what percentage of that inertia and those physics that went into the actual action of the crash were being driven by his car hitting me or his car hitting my roll bars. It’s not a fair assessment to say, but everything happened really quick and everything was all in that compartment, basically, and I guess it would be like a case of high-quality whiplash that kind of happened when I was hit.”
Roush Fenway Racing announced on April 27 that Newman was medically cleared to compete again.
And because the COVID-19 outbreak halted the NASCAR season for 10 weeks, he actually only missed three races and was temporarily replaced by Ross Chastain. NASCAR also granted him a waiver allowing him to be eligible for the 2020 Cup Series playoffs and championship.
Newman’s first race since the Daytona 500 will be Sunday’s Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway. It’s also the first in NASCAR’s return to the track after missing eight races amid the coronavirus pandemic.
NASCAR announced the latest revisions to its schedule amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Iconic NASCAR venues like Bristol Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway are among the tracks scheduled to host another round of races as the governing body continues rebuilding its schedule amid the global COVID-19 crisis.
NASCAR announced Thursday its plan to hold 12 races across its three national series between May 30 and June 21. Specifically, there will be five more Cup Series immediately following the first four leading the way in NASCAR’s return to the track.
In addition to races at Bristol and Talladega, NASCAR is now also scheduled to compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. And like the others previously announced, fans will not be allowed to attend.
After a 10-week break because of the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR’s first race back is set for Sunday at Darlington Raceway, which will host a second race Wednesday. It will then have two races at Charlotte Motor Speedway — including the Coca-Cola 600 — and will then continue with this second slate of new events.
Following the second Charlotte race on Wednesday, May 27, the NASCAR Cup Series will continue with a race at Bristol on Sunday, May 31.
Here’s a look at the latest update to NASCAR’s revised schedule for its three national series, including five more second-tier XFINITY Series races and two more third-tier Truck Series races:
Saturday, May 30: Bristol, XFINITY Series (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
Sunday, May 31: Bristol, Cup Series (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
Saturday, June 6: Atlanta, Truck Series (1 p.m. ET, FS1)
Saturday, June 6: Atlanta, XFINITY Series (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX)
Sunday, June 7: Atlanta, Cup Series (3 p.m. ET, FOX)
Wednesday, June 10: Martinsville, Cup Series (7 p.m. ET, FS1)
Saturday, June 13: Homestead, Truck Series (12:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
Saturday, June 13: Homestead, XFINITY Series (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX)
Sunday, June 14: Homestead, XFINITY Series (Noon ET, FS1)
Sunday, June 14: Homestead, Cup Series (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX)
Saturday, June 20: Talladega, XFINITY Series (5:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
Sunday, June 21: Talladega, Cup Series (3 p.m. ET, FOX)
NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, Steve O’Donnell, said in a statement:
“We are eager to expand our schedule while continuing to work closely with the local governments in each of the areas we will visit. We thank the many government officials for their guidance, as we share the same goal in our return – the safety for our competitors and the communities in which we race.”
With NASCAR having to coordinate with states that will allow it to compete while trying to limit the amount of travel time, the schedule’s redesign has been complicated. And with the addition of three new races in the first installment of NASCAR’s return, Chicagoland Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Richmond Raceway each lost a Cup event.
So along with the latest updates to the schedule, NASCAR also announced race weekends at Kansas Speedway (May 30-31) and Michigan International Speedway (June 5-7) were postponed.
After missing eight races this spring because of the COVID-19 outbreak, NASCAR makes its return Sunday at Darlington Raceway for the Real Heroes 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
Race day will have a completely different look to it without fans in the grandstands, limited personnel at the race tracks and health screenings, including temperature checks, for those entering and exiting the venue.
However, on-site testing is not among the protocols put in place for the first four races — two at Darlington Raceway followed by two at Charlotte Motor Speedway — NASCAR has confirmed in its return.
Although most of the sports world is on hold because of the COVID-19 outbreak, NASCAR will join UFC as two of the only organizations able to host competitions right now. But in the week leading up to UFC 249 on Saturday, 300 people were tested for the novel coronavirus, president Dana White said via ESPN, and one fighter and his two cornermen tested positive.
But NASCAR not having on-site coronavirus testing for drivers and other team members doesn’t bother Kevin Harvick.
The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford driver explained Thursday during a conference call with reporters why he’s comfortable with the health screenings NASCAR will be doing, even if that means no testing. Comparing NASCAR to UFC or other contact sports, Harvick said:
“Well, I’m not gonna get punched in the face by anybody else or be put in a head lock or be directly in contact with any of my other competitors. So I think it’s a drastically different situation.
“And I think when you look at the guidelines of entry and exit and temperature checks during the week and all the logs and things of where people are and who they have interaction with, I think we have done what we need to do from what fits our sport the best. So it’s just a much different situation than other sports that actually have human to human contact and have to be in each other’s face and things of that nature.”
NASCAR’s COVID-19 regulations include rosters being limited to 16 people per car — including the driver, team owner, crew chief, spotter and hauler driver — and social distancing measures have been put into place to limit interactions. Personal protective equipment, like masks, is also required.
With races confirmed so far only for Darlington and Charlotte, both tracks are within driving distance from NASCAR’s base in Charlotte, allowing each event to be a one-day trip. And those traveling to races have been asked to keep a log of the people they interact with each race day, just in case someone does test positive and needs to identify who they’ve come into contact with.
About the lack of testing at this point, NASCAR vice president of racing operations John Bobo said during a media teleconference on April 30:
“Those tests remain in short supply. Getting results can take two to three days. Really those tests should be targeted for people most in need.”
In an attempt to ensure everyone’s safety at the track as much as possible, Harvick also emphasized “that there’s a personal responsibility that comes with each one of us” to be cautious and follow the rules put in place. He continued:
“I think our sport is much different than other sports as far as the interaction between the competitors and the way that things function. So with every driver and every person in that garage being treated like they have the virus and being compartmentalized and doing the things that it takes to keep our sport safe, it’s not a locker room full of guys that are getting ready to go throw a ball around or have to have that interaction with each other on a weekly basis. …
“I think our sport has done a good job to prepare us for this. We’ve got 40 guys that need to make sure that they take it seriously from a driver’s side and a whole garage that will do the same. I think we’ll do that.”
Although there won’t be on-site testing, NASCAR told For The Win its medical liaisons will help team members if they need or think they need to be tested.
In terms of possibly being exposed to the virus or unknowingly spreading it, Harvick continued:
“The actual goal [for] everybody is to, obviously, not have anybody test positive for it. But I think with the way that everything is laid out, if somebody is tested positive for it, I think there’s a good plan in place to know where they’ve been, who they’ve been in contact with and the precautions that have been put in place to kind of build those walls. So that if it does happen, you have a good firewall built of trying to keep the people who have been exposed to it quarantined, and the procedures that have been put in place are there to be able to deal with that. So I think it’s something that could happen.
“I don’t know that it’s definitely not a make or break situation. I think building in the possibility of that happening and the plans and in the procedures and understanding that that could happen before we get started was built into everything. So I can’t tell you whether it’s going to happen or not. But I can tell you that the plan is in place in case it does happen to make sure that we take the precautions that we need to keep it from spreading as much as possible.”
After missing eight races this spring because of the COVID-19 outbreak, NASCAR makes its return Sunday at Darlington Raceway for the Real Heroes 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX). The next race will be Wednesday the 20th at Darlington, followed by two races at Charlotte, including the Coca-Cola 600.
Keselowski explained why he has little to no trust in his fellow drivers afters NASCAR’s 10-week hiatus.
NASCAR drivers haven’t competed on a real track in a real race since early March, and, as the sport returns Sunday after missing eight races because of the coronavirus pandemic, the first time drivers climb into their seats behind the wheel will be at the beginning of the race at Darlington Raceway.
And since the stateside COVID-19 outbreak began months ago, drivers haven’t been behind the wheel of their stock cars or had the chance to run some test laps.
Understandably, that makes Brad Keselowski a little nervous. While the 2012 Cup Series champ spoke with NBC Sports on Wednesday, Mike Tirico asked how much trust he has in his fellow, rusty drivers.
But he also explained how the NASCAR world’s pivot to iRacing during the coronavirus-related hiatus may hinder drivers on the track when they initially return for the first of four races in two weeks.
The No. 2 Team Penske Ford driver told Tirico:
“There’s been a lot of talk about how NASCAR pivoted into e-racing, and if you followed the iRacing series that NASCAR had, they had some good success with that, ratings and so forth. But the reality is it’s not the same.
“The tactics are not the same. It looks pretty good, the graphics are pretty cool, but the way the cars drive is not the same. The way the race slows is not the same. Everything about it is much, much different.
“So the problem with that is if you’ve had success with some of the simulators or the internet events, you build almost a false sense of confidence. And that false sense of confidence, when you get on the real race track, can be a big problem. So there’s a lot of drivers that have been putting a lot of time behind the simulator, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
And the famously formidable nature of Darlington’s 1.366-mile track certainly doesn’t help anything. Keselowski said if drivers had to pick the most challenging track to resume competition on — and do it without practice or qualifying — Darlington would be among the most difficult.
"I don't know if you could pick a tougher track." @keselowski breaks down Darlington Raceway as NASCAR prepares for its return to action. 🏎 #LunchTalkNBCSN
Several drivers, such as Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and William Byron, previously explained to For The Win how realistic iRacing is compared with real life, from the traction on the track to how quickly their tires wear out. But no matter how much time they spend with a simulator, they often say nothing replaces being in an actual car.
NASCAR’s first race back following its season suspension because of the coronavirus pandemic is Sunday, May 17 at Darlington Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX). The race’s official name is The Real Heroes 400.
But several factors were considered in order for NASCAR to actually come back. Health and safety precautions had to be established, the schedule needed to be played around with and the governing body had to find nearby tracks to race at. There are a lot of moving pieces, and it’s all fairly complicated — especially as the plan for the rest of the season remains fluid.
So we’re here to break down everything you need to know about NASCAR’s return and answer the biggest questions about how all this is going to work.
The NASCAR Cup Series is returning to the track starting with these four races:
Sunday, May 17: Darlington Raceway, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX) Wednesday, May 20: Darlington Raceway, 7 p.m. ET (FS1) Sunday, May 24: Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway, 6 p.m. ET (FOX) Wednesday, May 27: Charlotte Motor Speedway, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)
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1. How did NASCAR decide on returning to the track at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway?
North Carolina and South Carolina are among the states allowing NASCAR to compete. And with the sport based in Charlotte, both tracks are within driving distance and close enough to make each race a one-day show.
2. Are they true race weekends?
No, that’s the point of one-day events. The amount of time team members will spend in these communities is minimized, and there is no need for hotels, rental cars or any other necessities that could force them to be in contact with others.
3. What about practices and qualifying?
For these first four events in NASCAR’s return, there will be no practices, and the only race with a qualifying session will be the Coca-Cola 600.
(AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
4. So how will the starting lineups be determined without qualifying?
Without qualifying for the two Darlington races and the second Charlotte race, NASCAR is employing a type of lottery. So for Sunday’s Darlington race, the starting lineup will be determined through a combination of owner points and a random draw with cars being broken into groups of 12.
Teams ranked Nos. 1-12 in owner points will participate in a random drawing for the top-12 starting spots. Based on the current owner points, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Blaney, Matt Kenseth, Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch respectively round out the top-12 teams.
There will be a random draw for those in positions Nos. 13-24 and then Nos. 25-36 for the corresponding starting spots. And then teams ranked Nos. 37-40 will round out the field in order of owner points.
For the second Darlington race on May 20 and the second Charlotte race May 27, the starting lineup will be based on the previous race’s results — sort of. The top-20 finishers from the last race will be inverted to make up the front half of the starting lineup, while positions 21-40 will start in their same finishing order.
Qualifying will only take place at Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24.
5. Why Wednesday races?
For years, drivers and fans have been begging for midweek events, especially in the summer, and now they’re finally getting their wish. With NASCAR insisting on and doing everything in its power to have a full, 36-race season, midweek races became a necessity.
And now, NASCAR will be able to knock out four races — half the number that had been postponed — in two weeks, as it looks to the future to figure out how the remainder of the schedule will look.
6. Will fans be allowed to attend?
Of course not. At least for these first four races, no fans will be allowed at the track, and NASCAR said there will be “strict limits” for who will be permitted at the venue.
(AP Photo/Terry Renna)
7. Is there a limit to the number of people allowed per team?
Yes, team rosters are limited to 16 people per car, including the driver, team owner, crew chief, spotter and hauler driver.
8. What other precautions will be taken to keep drivers, team members and others at the track as safe as possible?
There are a variety of steps NASCAR is taking to help keep those in attendance as safe as possible. Those include requiring the use of personal protective equipment, like masks, during the whole event and health screenings, like having their temperature taken, when entering and exiting the track.
NASCAR also said the garage and hauler areas will be more spread out, and a minimum of six feet is required between haulers and race cars. Additionally, at-track workspaces (and those using them) will be kept separated unless absolutely necessary, and “if a group of people works closely, that group will have little to no interaction with other groups.”
The governing body is taking these safety measures seriously and will fine team members up to $50,000 for breaking the rules.
9. Were these races already on the schedule or are they new?
Aside from the Coca-Cola 600, all these races are new additions to the schedule and are not races later in the season that have been bumped up. So Darlington is getting two extra races this season while Charlotte is getting one, and, at this point, both tracks will host three total races in 2020.
10. Has NASCAR confirmed any races on the 2020 schedule beyond May 27 at Charlotte?
No, in NASCAR’s return to the track, it has only confirmed the two races at Darlington and two two at Charlotte.
A visit to Kansas Speedway is up next on the original season schedule on May 31, but there is no official word yet about whether or not that will be the next race.
Brad Keselowski after winning the 2018 Southern 500. (Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports)
11. Is the Southern 500 in the playoffs in September still on?
As of now, yes, the Southern 500 was not impacted by the revised schedule and is still set to kick off NASCAR’s playoffs on September 6.
12. Is Charlotte’s playoff “roval” race still on?
As of now, yes, Charlotte’s playoff race on the half-road course, half-oval track (or “roval”) was not impacted by the revised schedule and is still set to be the second elimination race of the playoffs.
13. Have any changes been made to NASCAR’s playoff schedule?
No, as of now, the 10-race, 16-driver playoffs in the fall are still expected to happen as scheduled.
14. If NASCAR added three races to the schedule, does that mean it has to eliminate some?
Yes, as For The Win previously explained, three of the four announced races are new, rather than being shifted up from another date on the 36-race schedule. And because of that, NASCAR needed to ditch three races.
Last week, NASCAR utilized the term “realignment” in explaining how it’s moving the schedule around.
So the Chicagoland Speedway race in June was “realigned” to Darlington on May 17, and Sonoma Raceway’s June race was “realigned” to Charlotte on May 27. Additionally, Richmond Raceway’s spring race, which was supposed to be in April will not be made up and was “realigned” to Darlington on May 20.
15. What’s the deal with the XFINITY Series and Truck Series?
The second- and third-tier NASCAR national series are back too. When NASCAR announced its return and four subsequent dates, the XFINITY and Truck series were in there too.
The XFINITY Series will race Tuesday, May 19 at Darlington (8 p.m. ET, FS1) and Monday, May 25 at Charlotte (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1). The Truck Series will, for now, only race on Tuesday, May 26 at Charlotte (8 p.m. ET, FS1).
“I’m already a little anxious about that first lap at Darlington,” the 48-year-old driver told Dale Jr.
For the first time since November 2018, Matt Kenseth will be behind the wheel competing in a NASCAR Cup Series race. But the 48-year-old veteran will be jumping in a car he’s never raced before, working with a new crew chief and spotter and doing it all with no qualifying, practice or test laps.
“How would you like to be one of those suckers lined up around me?” Kenseth joked on this week’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast about possibly being a wildcard. “You think I’m nervous?”
Away from NASCAR for about 18 months, the 2003 Cup Series champ explained on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast that when the team called him about taking over the ride full-time, he discussed the commitment with his wife, Katie, and how it might affect their four daughters, all of whom are under the age of 11.
He said that had this opportunity been presented to him in February, his answer “almost for sure” would have even no.
But between being quarantined at home with not much to do and the No. 42 team’s strong performances in the first four races of the season, Kenseth said the timing was perfect, adding that he wouldn’t have agreed to come back if he had doubts about being able to “put 100 percent effort in.”
“I’m pretty excited,” the two-time Daytona 500 winner said. “This is as excited as I’ve been to go racing in as long as I can remember, to be honest with you. I’m looking forward to getting back to the track.”
“This just kind of came up out of nowhere, and honestly, it’s like one of those things you think about it for a little bit, talked to Katie a lot about it, and just seemed like the right deal at the right time for me. It’s a competitive car. I think they’ve got a great team over there. …
“Usually when you make a driver change or a crew chief change or all that, it’s almost always performance-related, right? So to have that opportunity to get in a car that’s currently running well — I know you’re already part way into the season and all that — but it’s currently running well and really, they just needed a driver. I just thought it was a good opportunity for me to take another stab at it.”
The last time Kenseth was in a Cup car, he was driving for Roush Fenway Racing. To help guide a rebuilding team, he split the ride with former No. 6 Ford driver Trevor Bayne that season, earning two top-10 finishes in 15 races.
Race week is here! In some ways I feel like I did my rookie year… mostly because I just had to wait on @DaleJr who showed up 10 minutes late to his own podcast. pic.twitter.com/fgq5Ejf38g
But this time around, he’s getting into a car that showed some speed early in the NASCAR season. Through the first four races before the schedule was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Larson and the No. 42 team had three top-10 finishes, most recently coming in fourth at Phoenix Raceway in early March.
And Kenseth wants to pick up right where the team left off.
Although he said nothing replaces practice or test laps in a car, he’s utilizing all the resources available to him, from talking to new teammate Kurt Busch, analyzing data from past races, watching film, reading through notes from last year’s Darlington race and talking with his crew chief, Chad Johnston.
When Earnhardt asked what his goals are for this 2020 stint, Kenseth said:
“I hope to be competitive. Obviously, it’s going to be a steep learning curve, you know, it sounds like the first six races there’s not going to be any practice. And never driving for this team and a different spotter, crew chief, equipment, car, steering, fit — you know all the things that go into that to make you feel confident and make you feel comfortable and to be able to help you relay information. So it’s going to be pretty interesting.
“I’m already a little anxious about that first lap at Darlington. But I mean, really, my goals aren’t any different than what they used to be. I’d say I adjusted my goals in 2018 just because I knew there were probably some things we had to change and things like that. But every other I really raced, my goals haven’t really been that different. It’s just be the best I can be. You go out, and you hope you can put everything together and figure out how to win.”
Kenseth has 39 career Cup victories in 18 full-time seasons, dating back to 2000 when he edged out Earnhardt for rookie of the year.
He told Dale Jr. and podcast co-host Mike Davis that he never found an opportunity he deemed the “right fit” after that season, so he decided to walk away. But he said he doesn’t think he “was every totally at peace with the whole situation” of how this full-time career in NASCAR seemingly ended.
And he doesn’t like to use the word “retired” because, as he sees it, he’s clearly not done racing. Last summer, he even won a super late model race in Wisconsin.
“I actually never used the R-word. Like everybody’s saying — I don’t really read much of what people say, but people will be like, ‘Oh, he’s coming out of retirement for the second time.’ I was like, ‘Well, I never went into retirement. I wasn’t currently racing, but I never really retired.”
But he was quick to admit he does miss racing. Kenseth continued on Earnhardt’s podcast:
“Yes, there’s a lot of things I missed about it. It’s not the things that everybody would think. I really missed the camaraderie. I really miss being part of a team, part of a unit, a group, that is trying to go out and beat the best teams and beat the best teams that build stock cars, to try to be the best you can be and be part of that link in that chain.
“So it takes everybody doing their job at a high level to be able to be successful at this sport or be able to win. So I really miss being part of the group, the interaction with your team, just the little things, going to the shop. That’s what I miss the most.”
NASCAR’s (and Kenseth’s) first race back is Sunday, May 17 at Darlington Raceway at 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX).
