When NASCAR resumes competition Sunday after a 10-week hiatus because of the global coronavirus pandemic, a variety of health and safety precautions will be taken and rules seriously enforced with up to a $50,000 fine from the governing body for breaking them.
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.
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