ATLANTA — UPDATE: NASCAR has postponed all racing events.
NASCAR has made it official: No fans will be allowed at this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The decision is due to the spread of coronavirus.
NASCAR tweeted the announcement, saying that the race will be restricted to competitors, crews, officials and other “necessary personal to conduct the race.”
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 12, 2020
Channel 2’s Matt Johnson said there was mixed reaction to the news from race fans, many of whom had already arrived at the speedway for the race.
A lot of people said they're in no rush to go home, since they drove many hours to get to the racetrack.
NASCAR fans started hearing about the announcement via news articles and social media Thursday afternoon.
For some. it wasn't that surprising, considering all the COVID-19 related news surrounding sports.
RELATED STORIES:
- Gov. Kemp tells school districts to close if necessary: “Do what’s best for (your) community”
- University System of Georgia, APS, Cobb County, others cancel school amid coronavirus outbreak
- NCAA cancels Final Four in Atlanta, winter and spring championships
- NASCAR: No fans at this weekend’s race in Atlanta
But some thought the plan for hand-washing stations, which was announced Wednesday, would be enough.
"I'm a little surprised, because this is an outdoor event and you wouldn’t think you would get as much exposure as you would an indoor event," said NASCAR fan Tim Ott. "But I think they’re doing it in the best interest of the people who are coming to see the race."
A lot of fans plan to stick around and just listen to the race from outside this weekend.
Atlanta Motor Speedway is issuing a credit for all the people who bought tickets, good for any NASCAR race at a Speedway Motorsports speedway next year.
© 2020 Cox Media Group
