If you’re desperate for live sporting events during the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR could be an option for you. The Cup Series returns this Sunday at Darlington Raceway at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Ryan Preece, who boasts three top-10 finishes in his Cup Series career, believes the event will be safe for all participants.
“Oh, yeah,” Preece said on The DA Show. “Yeah, looking at all these emails that I’ve been getting about the process we’re going to be going through to get into the race track and basically the guidelines that we have to follow, this is going to be an extremely safe environment that’s going to meet all the codes. I definitely applaud everybody at NASCAR and all the officials that are going into this to make sure that it is a safe environment. It’s something that I feel like our fans, and other fans, they’ve been waiting for sporting events to start back up. This is the best case. This is the time to do it. I feel really good about it.”
All drivers and pit crews will be tested prior to the race.
“We’ve already started that process,” Preece said. “So we know that when we show up, we’re in good shape.”
Preece, 29, was asked if he had already been tested.
“We’re moving along,” he said. “I haven’t shown any symptoms. That’s a good thing. But I’m waiting on the call this afternoon just to take that precaution and find out where our next step is. . . . I’m only going off what I know, and we’re supposed to have a call this afternoon letting us know about the steps that us drivers must take.
“I do know that when I get to the race track, I isolate myself until we get into the race car, which, I believe we have a five- to ten-minute window on,” Preece continued. “So we’re going to be isolating ourselves from everybody and all the precautions are being taken to make sure that this is a safe environment.”