New Hampshire Motor Speedway will allow fans to attend the rescheduled NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 in Loudon Aug. 2.
The grandstands and suites will be open to fans, subject to social distancing requirements and additional health and safety protocols. NHMS said it will be the largest fan event in New England since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. New Hampshire’s governor, Chris Sununu, said the speedway could operate at up to 35 percent capacity. David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of NHMS, expects the number of fans to be around 19,000. Before the race was postponed, approximately 12,000 tickets had been sold.
“When you look at the size of our facility, and how we can place people in the grandstands, we will place people on this property as safely as we can,” said McGrath. “I’m really confident that the governor’s 35 percent capacity limit will be obtainable. We will make sure people are separated.
“It will be a challenge to accommodate, but we can get the job done.”
Approximately 5,000 fans were in attendance for last weekend's race at Talladega. Fans will not be allowed at this weekend's races at Pocono. But some events leading up to New Hampshire plan on having spectators.
The NASCAR All-Star Race in Bristol, Tenn., on July 15 will allow up to 30,000 fans, and Texas Motor Speedway plans to open its grandstands to fans for a race on July 19. While Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage said last week it was too early to know how many fans would be able to attend the race, Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has said that outdoor sporting events could be held with 50 percent capacity. Texas Motor Speedway has a capacity of about 135,000, including suites and grandstands.
“There’s very much a state-by-state effort with this to try to bring fans back to these events,” said Scott Cooper, vice president of communications and public relations for Speedway Motorsports/Charlotte Motor Speedway. “The very reason why the All-Star Race is taking place at Bristol instead of Charlotte Motor Speedway is because Bristol has more capacity to handle fans right now in terms of what the comfort level is with the state and local health officials.”
New Hampshire has asked that visitors from out of state that are staying at campgrounds or other lodging to show they have met a 14-day quarantine requirement, but that does not mean seating for the race is limited to in-state residents.
“Most of the people that do come to New Hampshire are from the greater New England area,” said McGrath. “We feel pretty confident that coming in for a 3 p.m. race for one day, and then going home, will mitigate that risk as best we can.”
The modified protocols will include: social distancing in the grandstands and concession lines; enhanced cleaning and sanitation in high-touch, high-traffic public areas; added hand-sanitizer stations; limited guests in suites; and infield admission for race team and operational personnel only. There will be no trams, camping or open bath houses.
Fans will be allowed to bring food and unopened beverages in soft-sided clear bags no larger than 14 x 14 x 14 inches. Coolers will be prohibited to limit contact at security checkpoints. Cash will not be accepted.
Ticket-holders for the originally scheduled July 19 race and fans with other Speedway Motorsports ticket credits on file can utilize their credits for the Aug. 2 race. Further details can be found on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway website.
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