NASCAR Returns To Racing With Events At Darlington, Charlotte

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NASCAR has announced it will return to racing on May 17, which will kick off a slate of races that includes seven events in three series at two race tracks—Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
 
The NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will each host its first on-track event since mid-March.
 
The NASCAR Cup Series will return to Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17, with a 400-mile event scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, live on FOX, FOX Deportes, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
 
What follows is a schedule that includes midweek races in primetime and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in its traditional Memorial Day Weekend home for the 60th consecutive season.
 
The opening slate of races is as follows:

DATE               TRACK             SERIES                        DISTANCE           NET     
Sun, May 17      Darlington          Cup                              400 mi            FOX   
Tue, May 19      Darlington          Xfinity                           200 mi            FS1    
Wed, May 20     Darlington          Cup                              500 km            FS1     
Sun, May 24      Charlotte           Cup                              600 mi             FOX    
Mon, May 25     Charlotte           Xfinity                           300 mi             FS1     
Tue, May 26      Charlotte           Gander Trucks               200 mi             FS1     
Wed, May 27     Charlotte           Cup                              500 km            FS1     
 
Each of NASCAR’s return events will be run without fans in attendance. Further schedule adjustments will be announced in the future.

“NASCAR and its teams are eager and excited to return to racing, and have great respect for the responsibility that comes with a return to competition,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “NASCAR will return in an environment that will ensure the safety of our competitors, officials and all those in the local community. We thank local, state and federal officials and medical experts, as well as everyone in the industry, for the unprecedented support in our return to racing, and we look forward to joining our passionate fans in watching cars return to the track.”
 
Following thorough collaboration with public health officials, medical experts and state and federal officials, NASCAR has implemented a comprehensive health and safety plan. In accordance with CDC, OSHA and state and local government recommendations, nearly every aspect of how the event is conducted will be significantly modified, including:
 
    •    One-day shows;
    •    Mandated use of personal protective equipment throughout the event;
    •    Health screenings for all individuals prior to entering the facility, while inside the facility and exiting the facility;
    •    Social distancing protocols throughout the event;
    •    Strict limits on the number of individuals who are granted access into each facility
 
As NASCAR works toward the execution of these events, the sanctioning body will continue to work with state and local authorities based on trends and local restrictions.

In-race competition procedures remain largely unchanged, though NASCAR will eliminate practice for all events during this opening return slate, as well as qualifying for all events except the Coca-Cola 600.

For more information, visit nascar.com.

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