NASCAR to return to racing on May 17

American sports fans desperate to watch any live action during the coronavirus pandemic will be saved by NASCAR in May.

Earlier this week, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed that the Coca-Cola 600 will run at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24 without fans in attendance. On Thursday, NASCAR announced its season will resume the Sunday prior with the running of a 400-mile race at Darlington Raceway.

Between May 17 and May 27, seven different NASCAR events will occur at Darlington and Charlotte. Fox and FS1 will air the races, and each will occur without fans.

To ensure the safety of all involved amid the virus outbreak, there will be no practice events held for the races. All who enter the facilities will undergo health screenings, NASCAR will limit the number of people allowed to enter for each event, and social-distancing protocols will be mandated.

As Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports wrote, additional midweek races should be expected as NASCAR attempts to complete a full 36-race Cup Series season that was suspended in March.

Per NASCAR:

“NASCAR and its teams are eager and excited to return to racing, and have great respect for the responsibility that comes with a return to competition,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “NASCAR will return in an environment that will ensure the safety of our competitors, officials and all those in the local community. We thank local, state and federal officials and medical experts, as well as everyone in the industry, for the unprecedented support in our return to racing, and we look forward to joining our passionate fans in watching cars return to the track.”