It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is not going to go away any time soon. Already, the pandemic has forced massive schedule changes for several sporting events, and NASCAR is no different. The sport has eliminated practice and qualifying sessions, skipping directly to the race.
Of course, the process has also changed in the past couple of months, ranging from a random draw to the use of a formula. With the 2020 season soon drawing to a close, all eyes will soon be on the 2021 season. This is largely because there are a couple of races left in regular season before the playoffs commence.
Several teams are advocating for @NASCAR to schedule a significant number of next year's Cup races as one-day shows, given the continued uncertainty and financial issues from coronavirus.
➖ Industry stakeholders (league/track/media partners) would need to agree to the move. pic.twitter.com/OEsCTk6dFB
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) August 19, 2020
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Some NASCAR teams are worried
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Since it looks like a coronavirus cure cannot come soon enough, people have to adapt and deal with it as best as they can. To help make things easier, teams have suggested that the sport condenses the 2021 calendar.
In other words, they want a fair number of race events shortened to one-day events. Of course, this could hurt the sport financially, but it does not seem that they have a choice in the matter.
Truthfully speaking, NASCAR has had a few run-ins and close calls with the COVID-19 pandemic. Jimmie Johnson contracted the virus and had to pull out of one race. A few races later, the next victim was Austin Dillon, and he also had to pull out of the race weekend and self-isolate.
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However, some believe that NASCAR is not taking the COVID-19 threat as seriously as it makes it out to be. According to Insider, After Chase Elliott won at the Daytona International Speedway road course, fans flock to the track. It is also worth noting that not only did they not follow social distancing, many were without masks.
This is quite risky, especially in a country with the highest COVID-19 infections compared to any other nation. In fact, a maskless Elliott willingly approached fans for fist-bumps individually. 24 hours later, the United States hit another record high of daily infections, though it isn’t clear if the Daytona attendance had a role.
