Fans, flags under scrutiny as Cup goes to Talladega

The heat is on at Talladega Superspeedway, and not just for the drivers at a track known for high-speed chaos.

It is another test run for security and safety protocols as fans start to return in limited numbers. NASCAR is permitting up to 5,000 fans and, officials hope, zero Confederate flags into Sunday’s Cup Series race along with 44 motor homes.

Fans will undergo health screenings before entering the track and be required to wear masks and asked to maintain six feet of social distancing. Other sports organizations and leagues will likely be watching how NASCAR and Talladega handle the event since fans have been virutally barred from every sporting event in North America for more than three months because of the coronavirus and positive tests are on the rise in scattered places across the country.

NASCAR is also hoping to allow as many as 30,000 fans into Bristol Motor Speedway in eastern Tennessee for next month’s All-Star race, which would be a dramatic increase from the first fans — about 1,000 of them — allowed into a race earlier this month near Miami.

“They want to be out front,” said James DeMeo, who runs Unified Sports & Entertainment

Security Consulting and is an adjunct instructor at Tulane and Mercer. “Nobody wants to be that organization that’s known for not properly safeguarding patrons at these types of events.”

Talladega and its normally crowded, sometimes raucous scene will have a decidedly different feel. Fans won’t be allowed to enter the infield and there won’t be any tailgating allowed outside the grounds before, during or after the race except for customers who bought admission for the RV sites on the Alabama Gang Superstretch. The 5,000 fans inside will be scattered around the front stretch grandstands and towers at a track that can hold about 80,000.

“The race day experience will be different,” NASCAR executive vice president Daryl Wolfe said. “It’s just different times. Fans will have to adjust to that. We will have to adjust on how we’re addressing these issues for fans.”

The coronavirus isn’t the only new security issue in Talladega. NASCAR has banned display of the Conferederate flag from its events and facilities, but hasn’t outlined how it will enforce the rule.

“It’s banned and hopefully fans will comply and, if not, we’ll deal with that,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer.