NASCAR returns to Homestead this weekend. And these select fans can be in attendance
For the first time in three months, a live professional sporting event will take place in South Florida when NASCAR makes its way to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend.
What’s more: There will be a small number of fans in the grandstands, a first for any sporting event that has taken place since the ongoing coronavirus pandemic initially put sports at a standstill in mid-March.
NASCAR announced Tuesday that up to 1,000 South Florida service members will be honorary guests for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, the NASCAR Cup Series race and the final of four overall races at the racetrack this weekend. They will represent the Homestead Air Reserve Base and U.S. Southern Command in Doral. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
“The ability to host guests for the Dixie Vodka 400 is an important step in the return of live sporting events across the globe,” Homestead-Miami Speedway President Al Garcia said in a statement. “The opening of our track 25 years ago was a sign of hope following the devastation in South Miami-Dade County as a result of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Today we are privileged and feel a deep sense of responsibility for the same chance during these challenging times. Having South Florida service members at our race is a true honor, and is very symbolic as we begin to have guests back at our NASCAR events.”
According to NASCAR’s release, all guests attending the race will be screened before entering, required to wear face coverings and maintain 6 feet social distancing. They also will not have access to the infield, among other revised operational protocols.
NASCAR executive vice president of chief operations and sales officer Daryl Wolfe called the sport bringing fans back to the racetrack a “cautious, conservative approach,” adding that NASCAR has been in constant dialogue with local, state and federal health officials.
“They’re the reason we show up and race every week,” Wolfe said. “They’re kind of the energy that fuels the sport week in and week out, month by month and for the entire year. .. We want to be very methodical, very measured, and we want to be cautious as we go through this.”
That starts with the Dixie Vodka 400. The race, postponed from its original March 22 date due to COVID-19, will be the eighth NASCAR Cup Series race since the sport’s season resumed May 17. The first seven — two each at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway, one each at Bristol Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Wednesday’s race at Martinsville Speedway — have all been held at empty tracks. One week after the races at Homestead, NASCAR will allow up to 5,000 fans to the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 21.
“We feel confident in our plan,” Wolfe said, “but that also doesn’t mean we won’t have additional learnings. We will adapt our plan going forward.”
Homestead-Miami Speedway will also host three additional races this weekend, two with the sport’s Xfinity Series (Saturday at 3:30 p.m., Sunday at noon) and one for the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (Saturday at 7:30 p.m.). No fans are allowed at those three races.
“Miami-Dade County is proud to be the site of the return of NASCAR following COVID-19 closures across the nation earlier this year,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said. “Sunday’s race is a fitting tribute to our South Florida service members representing the Homestead Air Reserve Base and U.S. Southern Command. By following the public health protocols as we continue moving to a New Normal, NASCAR is ensuring that our military members and their families can enjoy the race in a safe way.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 3:49 PM.
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