The Orange County Speedway will proceed with its season opening race on Saturday without fans in the stands.

Current health guidelines from the state of North Carolina state that no more than 25 people can gather outdoors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Over the last few weeks, we have been working closely with Orange County government and health officials to come up with a plan to safely start hosting race events again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says a release on the Speedway’s website. “The health and safety of OCS employees, competitors, and fans are our top priority, and we want to ensure that all necessary precautions have been put in place before holding our first race of the season.”

For the safety of officials and competitors, only eight crew members will be allowed with each car and there will be additional space between each pit stall. Before entering the pits, all personnel will have their temperature checked and will fill out a COVID-19 form for contact tracking purposes. Face masks will also be mandatory outside the pit area.

Fans who want to watch the race live can tune into Facebook Live or race22.com on Saturday to watch all the races.

On Thursday, a judge ruled that Ace Speedway in Alamance County has to temporarily close after being one of the first speedways in North Carolina to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. On May 23, the speedway held a race with packed crowd, few of whom wore face coverings.

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