KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ NASCAR is coming to Kansas City in two weeks, and you can catch the action live ... on TV.
After holding out hope of accommodating spectators at Kansas Speedway's July 23-25 NASCAR races, track officials made the call Wednesday: bringing fans through the gates just won't be possible because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Over the past month, we have worked closely with public health officials, medical experts as well as state and federal officials to determine if we could run our rescheduled July NASCAR weekend with fans in attendance," Kansas Speedway president Pat Warren said in a statement. "After careful and extensive consideration for the health and safety of our fans and the local community, we determined that the most prudent course of action would be to host the races without fans."
This month's racing had already been postponed from May due to the global coronavirus outbreak.
A note posted on the speedway's Twitter account Wednesday afternoon indicated plans are in place to assist fans who had already purchased tickets for the July 23-25 races.
"Fans will automatically receive a 120 precent credit to their account within the next 5-7 days," the notice said.
This month's racing is the first of two NASCAR engagements at the Kansas City, Kan. track in 2020. Still scheduled for the fall is an Oct. 16-18 NASCAR playoff weekend.
"While it was a difficult decision (to prohibit fans this month)," Warren said in his statement, "the well-being of everyone who comes to our venue is paramount. We appreciate the patience and support from our fans, and look forward to our Fall NASCAR weekend ... "
