NASCAR
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.”
Talladega Superspeedway was allowed up to 5,000 fans for its race weekend and only 1,000 of them, mostly military members and their guests, were allowed two weeks ago at HomesteadMiami Speedway.
Pocono sits in Monroe County which has entered Pennsylvania’s green designation. The green phase limits public gatherings to 250 people. But Gov. Tom Wolf’s guidance to professional sports mandates no spectators, even in green.
“Honestly, to me, it’s full house or nothing,” Igdalsky
said. “We want to see that. That’s what makes us happy.”
Igdalsky declined to address specific projected attendance numbers but said the track had seen 30% growth in sales.
“Our infield was already at 80% capacity by March and that’s when we also added, before we started selling tickets, 800 new spots to the infield,” he said.
Joe Gibbs Racing has drivers who have won the last five races at Pocono (though Martin Truex Jr’s 2018 win came with Furniture Row Racing) 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 on Saturday.
“I don’t have more to learn