Twin bill loses luster at Pocono

NASCAR weekend will have a different feel without fans

The billboard at the entrance to Pocono Raceway has photos of Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch and “First-Ever NASCAR Doubleheader” in bold letters.

The kicker comes at the bottom of the sign: “Kids Free.”

Keep the kids at home. Their parents too. After allowing a small number of fans into races in Florida and Alabama, none will be allowed at this weekend’s races at Pocono.

The absence stings a bit more this season for a track that first held a Cup race in 1974. Pocono is the site of a Cup Series twin bill, with one race on Saturday, one on Sunday, and the second race comes with a twist. The field for Sunday’s race will be set by inverting the lead-lap finishers from race No. 1.

The tri-oval track has suffered its knocks through the years, and enthusiasm among drivers and fans was through the roof. Joey Logano, the defending Cup champion, said at this year’s Daytona 500 that Pocono had a distinct feel.

“Pocono used to just be a race in Pocono. It wasn’t a big deal,” he said. “Now it’s an event. There are two races in one weekend and that’s a cool way of turning it into a big event.”

Not anymore. The big news at the track Friday was the opening of the regenerative organic farm.

“We had something amazing going, but things change,” Pocono CEO Nick Igdalsky said. “We’ve got to change course and adapt. That’s what we’re doing. It’s bittersweet. It’s really bitter that we can’t have fans here. This was going to be one of the most spectacular events we’ve had in decades.”

Joe Gibbs Racing has drivers who have won the last five races at Pocono, and Denny Hamlin won his fifth Cup race at the track last season. Kyle Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick are 5-1 favorites Saturday.

“I don’t have more to learn there and maybe some of the newer drivers will make the bigger strides from one race to the next,” Hamlin said.

Saturday’s race is set for 325 miles and Sunday goes off at 350 miles, sliced from the traditional 400. College:

Morehouse, a historically Black college in Atlanta, announced Friday it is canceling its 2020 football season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Morehouse also will not compete in cross country, its other fall sport, this year. Morehouse President David A. Thomas said the school would honor athletic scholarships. MLB:

The baseball Hall of Fame museum has reopened after being shut for more than three months. Closed on March 15 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Hall welcomed visitors on Friday in Cooperstown, New York. Face masks are required for all staff and guests. The Hall announced earlier that this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies had been canceled. Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker will be enshrined next year, on July 25, 2021. Tennis:

Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who now coaches Novak Djokovic and attended the topranked player’s exhibition series in Serbia and Croatia, said Friday he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Croatian great wrote on Instagram that he tested positive after two negative tests in the last 10 days.