Martin Truex Jr. and the #19 car won the Charlotte-based race last year. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina governor planning for Coca-Cola 600 to run on May 24 without fans

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Apr 28, 2020 5:44 PM ET

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper expects the Coca-Cola 600 to run at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24 as planned.

As ESPN's Ryan McGee wrote, Cooper addressed the matter during his Tuesday coronavirus media briefing. Cooper added that secretary of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen and State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Tilson will sign off on a plan that includes fans not attending the race.

McGee also reported that NASCAR is working on a schedule that would allow for races to resume next month before the Coca-Cola 600. As the Associated Press (h/t CNBC) reported, the competition originally planned to remain postponed from the middle of March through May 9.

Future races will likely occur in states where restrictions on gatherings of people are eased or lifted. Per McGee, the first race may occur at Darlington Raceway on May 17.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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