Mark Humphrey / Associated Press
Most team sports in the United States have not even returned in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but NASCAR has apparently already hit the stage where it can host tens of thousands of fans.
According to the Associated Press (h / t ESPN), as many as 30,000 fans were able to attend Wednesday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. The report noted that “it appeared that at least 20,000 spectators were socially estranged in the stands, making it probably the largest sporting event in the United States since winter.”
As a result, the stadium made driver appearances for a race for the first time since NASCAR returned from its hiatus on May 17.
“It really feels good to have the fans back on the track,” said Clint Bowyer.
Bowyer was only participating in the All-Star Race because he won last place on the 20-driver field through fan voting during the NASCAR All-Star Open that was held before the main event on the same track. Aric Almirola, William Byron and Matt DiBenedetto also won positions during the first race by winning the stages.
NASCAR’s All-Star race is typically held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the AP noted that it moved to Bristol “because Tennessee officials allowed Speedway Motorsports to sell a percentage of the seats.”
North Carolina would not authorize fans to attend.
As for the royal career, Chase Elliott was dominant on his way to his first All-Star victory.
He won stages 2 and 3 before stopping Kyle Busch in the 15-lap sprint to finish during Stage 4. Elliott took home the $ 1 million prize as a result.
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