No one in the racing business wants to be the cause of a second outbreak
Everyone knows a person who is often thought of as “that guy”. He’s the one who seems to always make a mistake that winds up costing others more work or hardship. No one ever wants to be “that guy”.
Along that line, if there is anyone out there who wants racing to return more than I do, I would like to meet that person … from a safe distance, of course.
Even with a great desire by many to see cars circling race tracks at high speed, the likelihood of such a thing actually happening in the very near future seems to be a somewhat unrealistic goal. While there are numerous projections out there as to when sporting events in the United States might resume or, more importantly, when any sort of normal life might return, there is one thing that all sports leagues almost certainly have in common.
No sport wants to get back into action only to see that shortly afterwards there was a new outbreak of coronavirus centered around the arena, stadium, or speedway where an event had taken place a week or two earlier. And no matter what date the first ball game, race, boxing match, golf tournament, or whatever sporting event takes place, the always reasonable and even keeled news channels and social media experts will be more than happy to chime with analysis stating that “it’s too soon.”
And, of course, those same mediums will almost gleefully point out that there was a secondary outbreak following the sporting event in question.
Keep in mind that it’s not only NASCAR that will have to very carefully choose it’s time and place of return.
Auto racing is one of the world’s top spectator sports. Everything from Formula 1 down to grassroots short track racing has been put on hold. Just as NASCAR doesn’t want to look in the rear view mirror and see that a new hot spot developed around Michigan International Speedway or Charlotte Motor Speedway or any other racing venue following one of their events, neither does the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series or the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series want to see where they might have contributed to a resurgence of the illness near Florence, Kentucky, or Fairbury, Illinois, or Knoxville, Iowa.
Perhaps the best option for the likes of NASCAR, Formula 1 or IndyCar is to run a few races without fans in the grandstands. Those entities can survive on their television contracts and series sponsorship payments for at least short time until health care officials feel more certain that the illness has subsided. Obviously, dirt racing doesn’t have as much flexibility with no big TV contracts as part of their business models.
In an even tougher spot than the national touring series as far as the dirt racing realm is concerned are local short tracks. Dozens and dozens of these facilities exist around the country for the purpose of providing entertainment to thousands of fans each weekend. But apart from local body shops, towing services, or radio stations that pay for signage around the outer walls of these tracks, there is no big sponsorship money coming in to keep these promoters afloat during this time of not having any fans pass through their gates.
Both dirt and paved short tracks desperately need to get back into action so that leases and other bills can be paid. But just like their larger counterparts, they can’t afford to do so at the risk of their supporters and at the risk of receiving overwhelming negative publicity from a rekindled outbreak being attributed to them.
Ultimately, it will be a tough decision to make for every form of racing, or every sport for that matter, as to when they will return to action. And of course, it must be a decision made based on careful consideration with emotion being left on the sidelines since the health and safety of fans, competitors, and officials has to be of the first and foremost concern.
Those of us who love racing want to see cars back on track at the earliest possible date. But no one wants racing to be “that guy” who made a big mistake and sparked a major second setback.
Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association
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