North Carolina Governor Asked To Allow Racing At Charlotte

Five Republican state senators are asking North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to allow NASCAR races — without fans — next month at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

RALEIGH, NC - MAY 16: Governor Roy Cooper, D-NC address the crowd during the Rally for Respect outside the North Carolina Legislative Building on May 16, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Several North Carolina counties closed schools to allow teachers to march on the opening day of the General Assembly. (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

In a normal year, NASCAR would run the Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte track over Memorial Day weekend.

Like other, sports, though, NASCAR's schedule has been upended by the coronavirus. NASCAR said Friday it hopes to resume racing at some point in May without fans in the stands.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he hopes NASCAR can race next month at one of the state's tracks, again without fans.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - APRIL 17: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives updates about the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic during a press conference on April 17, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The governor announced that starting Saturday, two walk-up testing sites will open in Broward County — one at the Urban League of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale and the other at Mitchell Moore Park in Pompano Beach. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

On Sunday, senators Kathy Harrington, Paul Newton, Todd Johnson, Vickie Sawyer and Carl Ford said allowing a race at Charlotte would require the governor to amend his executive order.

Cooper spokesman Ford Porter said Sunday that "Governor Cooper knows the importance of NASCAR to our state and he's already been talking with track and team owners about how we could potentially restart racing. It's too soon to predict specific decisions about future sporting events but any plan would prioritize public health and safety and preventing spread of the virus."

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