Racing Returns To Texas Motor Speedway In June Without Fans
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas Motor Speedway will host the Genesys 300 on Saturday, June 6 to begin the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season, but fans will not be allowed to attend.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IndyCar will run a condensed schedule with practice, qualifying and the race taking place on the same day.
This will be the 24th consecutive year in which IndyCar has raced at the 1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth.
"We're excited and ready to kick off the NTT IndyCar Series season at Texas Motor Speedway," IndyCar President Jay Frye said. "We've worked closely with Eddie Gossage, the entire TMS team and public health officials on a plan of action that will ensure the safety of our event participants alongside an exciting return to competition for our drivers, teams and viewers tuning in from around the world."
"America needs live sports and they are not going to believe what they see when the Genesys 300 storms into their living rooms on TV from Texas," said Eddie Gossage, president and general manager of Texas Motor Speedway. "One of the world's greatest sporting events, the Indy 500, has been postponed until August by coronavirus, so all of that pent-up energy, anticipation, frustration, and anxiety will be pounding through the drivers' nervous systems. Typically, the Genesys 300 results in a 220-mph photo finish."
Other steps to protect the wellbeing of participants have been identified through close consultation with TMS and public health officials. These include:
Strict access guidelines limiting the number of personnel on site
A health screening system administered to all participants
PPE equipment provided to everyone entering the facility, along with guidelines on usage
Social distancing protocols in place and carefully maintained
Revised competition layout to increase distancing
To accommodate the one-day schedule, the length for the race at Texas Motor Speedway has been adjusted to 200 laps rather than the previously announced 248 laps. The full on-track schedule for the Genesys 300:
Practice: 1:30-3:30 p.m. (ET)
Qualifications: 5 p.m. (ET)
Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway: 8:45 p.m. (ET)
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