Daytona 500 to Host 30,000 Fans in NASCAR Season Opener
Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile announced on Saturday that he expects approximately 30,000 fans to attend NASCAR's season opener—the Daytona 500.
"It's going to be the largest sporting event that happens in the United States since COVID hit," Wile said to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
NASCAR was one of the first sports back after the pandemic shut it down on March 16, 2020. The drivers stayed home for 70 days, participating in live virtual races (iRacing), before NASCAR resumed live races.
The Speedway said in December that fan occupancy would be limited because of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. It usually doesn't announce attendance numbers, but the track had an estimated 25,000 fans at last August's Coke Zero Sugar 400.
DIS typically holds 101,500 spectators.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps also told Sports Business Journal this week that he expects around 30,000 fans for the Feb. 14 crown jewel race. Wile added on Saturday that it would be roughly 30% capacity in the grandstands and a few thousand in the infield.
This weekend's Rolex 24 At Daytona, which hosted around 40,000 spectators last year, is being held with limited spectators in a similar breakdown of being spread across the grandstands and the infield.
Per COVID-19 protocols, pit road, the garage and paddock areas are all closed, but infield fans can go into the FanZone. Other protocols include health screenings, temperature checks and required face-coverings.
"We've been abiding by CDC guidelines with the 6-foot radius in the seats," Wile said. "We're abiding by every state and federal regulation to ensure the safety of ours fans."
The Daytona 500 is slated to take place a week after Super Bowl LV, which will also have limited attendance. Last season at Daytona, Denny Hamlin took home the checkered flag, but the focus was primarily on Ryan Newman, who's horrific wreck landed him in the hospital in serious condition.
"It's great to be alive," Newman said to the AP three weeks after his wreck. "If you look at my car, it's a miracle."
The 42-year-old walked out of a hospital less than 48 hours after the crash, but in interviews weeks and months afterward, Newman said he had no recollection of the crash. He eventually did return to finish racing the rest of the season.
