Doubleheaders aren't only for baseball these days.
Texas Motor Speedway announced that its fall races will include a NASCAR doubleheader event open to fans on Sunday, Oct. 25. Fans will have the opportunity to attend two playoff races with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series running the SpeedyCash.com 400 at 11 a.m. followed by the Cup Series' Texas 500 at 2:30 p.m.
The truck race was originally scheduled for TMS' summer race weekend in early June, along with an IndyCar race. But NASCAR postponed the truck race to the fall, and IndyCar started its season that weekend in Texas with no fans.
The October race weekend will also include an Xfinity Series race, the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300, on Saturday, Oct. 24 that is closed to the public. All three series will compete without practice or qualifying sessions and the starting lineups will be created by a draw system.
"We're honored to be able to provide our race fans with two NASCAR playoff races for just one ticket price," TMS president Eddie Gossage said in a news release. "Texas Motor Speedway is always a critical stop on the NASCAR playoffs schedule because a win here punches a team's ticket into the championship race just two weeks later. The Texas 500/SpeedyCash.com 400 doubleheader gives us a great opportunity to show our appreciation to our dedicated race fans as well as our commitment to again providing them with a safe environment to enjoy a great day of racing."
TMS became the first major sports venue in the state to welcome fans back last month amid the coronavirus pandemic. About 15,000 braved the triple-digit heat and attended a NASCAR Cup race on July 19.
State guidelines limit outdoor venues such as TMS to 50% capacity. The track could hold up to 62,500 under those restrictions. If the state further reduces capacity limits to, say, 25% in the coming weeks, the track would still be able to accommodate 31,250 (which would still be more than enough to meet the demand that was there for the July race).
The track has implemented a number of COVID-19 pandemic protocols, including: mobile ticketing; social distancing in the grandstands and concession lines; enhanced cleaning and sanitation in high-touch, high-traffic public areas; hand-sanitizer stations; limited guests in suites; and infield admission for race team and operational personnel only.
Tickets for the October race are available at texasmotorspeedway.com. Prices start at $48 for adults and children 12 and under for $10. Gates are scheduled to open at 10 a.m.
