Governor Signals Hope for June NASCAR Race at Pocono

Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf said a NASCAR event planned for the Pocono Raceway next month can proceed if the county progresses to the yellow stage of his phased economic reopening plan.

“If Monroe County goes to yellow before that race happens and NASCAR, in fact, has the competition without spectators in the stands, and they follow other guidelines to keep the competitors safe, yeah,” he said during a Monday news conference.

As of May 22, 18 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties will remain in the most restrictive red phase of Wolf’s plan that includes a stay at home order until June 4, Monroe County among them. Public health officials have identified more than 1,500 cases of COVID-19 in the area and some 88 residents have died, so far.

Wolf's administration said moving from red to yellow requires a county's infection rate fall close to or below 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period.

Evidence of slowed community spread, as well as a demonstrated ability to ramp up testing and contact tracing also proves critical to a region's reopening, the governor said.

The state's application of the target metrics, however, has drawn criticism, especially from legislative Republicans.

On Monday, House GOP members – deep into a legislative campaign to reopen businesses ahead of the governor’s schedule – moved a bill that would give extra assurance to the motor sports industry anyway.

The House State Government Committee voted along party lines Monday in support of measure that would reopen outdoor recreational activities, including motor sporting events, so long as facilities could adhere to social distancing guidelines.