Charlotte Motor Speedway is ready for full grandstands this weekend. The track plans to host around 50,000 people on Sunday for its annual Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup race, CMS president Greg Walter told The Observer.
That attendance figure would also make it the largest crowd for any event in the state since the start of the pandemic.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper lifted gathering limits and social distancing requirements on May 14, as well as most mask mandates, to allow the speedway to operate at full capacity and without mask requirements for the Memorial Day weekend event.
The race was set to be held at 30% capacity prior to governor’s announcement. The speedway accommodates about 95,000 fans, including grandstands, suites and camping, meaning the track will likely still be well under its total capacity on Sunday given the ability to sell more tickets on short notice and because certain areas, such as the infield campgrounds, will be closed off in line with NASCAR’s protocols. But Walter said he sees the full reopening and fan response as a positive.
“We were almost at the threshold of not being able to sell anymore tickets given the six-foot distancing,” Walter said. “All of the sudden, it’s been amazing the amount of interest and excitement people have had about the race.”
Walter said the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticketing office informed him Wednesday morning that fans from all 50 states are expected to attend the event.
“I feel like America’s back this week,” No. 22 Cup driver Joey Logano said Wednesday of the upcoming weekend of racing.
Celebrities such as talk-show host Jay Leno and “The Tonight Show” musical director Kevin Eubanks will be involved in the fanfare as co-grand marshals for the race, along with Carolina Panthers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, who will drive the pace car before the green flag for the 600-mile crown jewel event aimed at honoring military service members. Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn is also expected to attend.
Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first major professional sports venue in the state to host a mass vaccination site against COVID-19 in the winter and will host vaccination clinics on-site each day of the race weekend that starts Friday. Fans will be able to get either the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered by Atrium Health or the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine administered by Walmart pharmacists at the track in Concord, N.C.
The race is scheduled for Sunday, May 30, at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on FOX.
