The vast majority of NASCAR teams will remain closed as North Carolina extended its stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday extended his executive order closing non-essential businesses and prohibiting groups of 10 or more until May 8. It was originally set to expire on April 29.
The order covers race team shops as the vast majority of NASCAR teams have their shops based in North Carolina, and are not classified as “essential businesses.”
Cooper said: “It’s important to get our economy moving forward. We’re helping with unemployment payments, stimulus money and the businesses that continue to be open. But I won’t risk the health of our people or our hospitals. And easing these restrictions now would do that.
“This decision is based on the data that we see in our critical categories. I know people want our lives and our livelihoods back, and I have a plan to do that. But first we will need to hit certain metrics in order to do that.”
State officials said the trends they will be watching going forward include: COVID-19-like symptomatic cases over 14 days; lab-confirmed cases over 14 days;-positive tests as a percentage of total tests over 14 days; and hospitalizations over 14 days.
As of Thursday, there were 7,608 confirmed cases in North Carolina and 253 deaths since the outbreak began. Mecklenburg County, which includes the Charlotte area, reported 78 new cases Thursday – the second-highest amount since the outbreak began.
Over the last week or so as some states began to consider lifting or amending stay-at-home orders, a group of state legislators had been urging the governor to amend his order to allow NASCAR to hold events at Charlotte Motor Speedway with no fans. Tracks in Texas, South Carolina and Florida have also offered up their facilities as a site to host races with no fans.
However, regardless of where NASCAR resumes its 2020 schedule, there will have to be a change in North Carolina’s pandemic policy first.