Lincoln Speedway is about 40 miles SW of Harriburg where at this moment rioters are still engaging law enforcement.
Red America vs. Blue America.
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
Posted on 05/30/2020 6:15:12 PM PDT by lightman
ABBOTTSTOWN — Thousands of racing fans paraded through the gates of Lincoln Speedway on Saturday, many holding coolers or folding chairs and bantering about their favorite drivers.
About one in 50 wore a face mask.
Two and a half months into the coronavirus crisis, this popular dirt racing track in Adams County about 15 miles west of York showed signs of vibrancy — from revving engines to chatty crowds to crammed lines for concessions — while eschewing state guidelines Gov. Tom Wolf put in place during the pandemic.
Adams County remains in the yellow phase of Wolf’s plan to reopen the state, which prohibits gatherings of more than 25 people. Still, Lincoln Speedway returned to live racing after a 10-week shutdown with a Memorial Day racing program Monday and hosted thousands of fans for Saturday night for 410 and 358 sprints.
Brian Sinnett, the county’s district attorney, told the York Dispatch this week that his office and state police would monitor the track, and “appropriate enforcement action will take place” should races occur.
No authorities disrupted the leadup to Saturday’s racing events.
Police were not visibly stationed in or around the track, and sprints started without incident.
Trooper Megan Ammerman, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania State Police, told PennLive officers were aware of the races at Lincoln Speedway, but she declined to say whether she expected to take action.
“Each case is a case-by-case basis,” she said.
Sinnett also declined further comment when PennLive asked specifically about races scheduled for this weekend.
The racing events Saturday arrived with no stoppage. Vendors at Lincoln Speedway sold food, hats and T-shirts, among other goods and fans gathered in the infield and around the grandstands.
Many in the racing community feel energized by the return of live events, according to driver A.J. Flick, who raced at Lincoln Speedway on Monday and was back at the track to run Saturday. Flick said he understands why the idea of restarting live racing while Adams County remained in the yellow phase galvanized some of the community.
“It’s just one of those sports where people fall in love with it,” Flick said. “For a lot of people, being at the racetrack is an escape from whatever’s going on, and as a fan, it’s a relatively inexpensive hobby. And the people that come to watch are so invested; it’s like a family.”
Lincoln Speedway required fans to sign a waiver before entering the venue to affirm they had not been experiencing coronavirus symptoms and had not been in known contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease associated with the virus. Track officials seated fans in every other row of the grandstands in an effort to promote social distancing.
Hand sanitizing stations dotted different sections of the track, and many vendors and ticket takers wore masks. A large majority of fans did not have face coverings.
Economists have warned that prolonged coronavirus lockdowns could cause lasting damage to businesses and employment rates, while health experts caution against an accelerated return to work and large gatherings. States across the United States have begun to reopen at varying speeds.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said holding gatherings and restarting typical business models too soon could lead to rising cases of COVID-19 and further complicate or delay economic recoveries.
“There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control,” Fauci said earlier this month.
Wolf has said his three-tiered reopening plan is designed to promote a safe and gradual revival of economic activity.
Though Lincoln Speedway’s racing events defy Wolf’s orders and drew a statement from the district attorney, some local government officials have supported the track. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County, was at the venue Monday to celebrate Lincoln Speedway’s first live event in more than two months.
Mastriano told a crowd that his office disregarded messages from the governor’s administration telling him not to run races, according to The York Dispatch.
“We got a message from the governor’s office — ‘You better not race,’” Mastriano said Monday. “Here we are. If we’re a free people, we need to walk as free people.”
Flick said drivers are grateful several tracks — such as Lincoln Speedway and Selinsgrove Speedway — have returned to hosting fans for racing events.
“There are certainly people that have their opinion on everything with coronavirus, but to see what Lincoln was able to do to stick up for itself and what local officials were able to do was good,” Flick said.
Flick pointed to the boost racing provides the local economy and the need for drivers and track owners to make money. Saturday night, fans freely strolled around Lincoln Speedway, sipping beer, ripping apart funnel cakes and, in many cases, sitting shoulder to shoulder.
Saturday’s racing came one day after Wolf held his first in-person press conference since the middle of March, in which he said the public should not disregard the threat of the coronavirus, even with data showing the number of newly reported cases in the state has slowed.
“We still don’t have enough tests," Wolf said. "We still don’t have a vaccine. We still need to be careful.”
The first laps of Saturday’s program at Lincoln Speedway began at 7 p.m. Drivers started engines, their feet slammed onto gas pedals and cars emanated an earth-rumbling roar familiar to racing regulars. In an instant, every discussion at track was drowned out by one noise.
Lincoln Speedway is about 40 miles SW of Harriburg where at this moment rioters are still engaging law enforcement.
Red America vs. Blue America.
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
What do the colors mean?
The real resistance
Pennsylvania Ping!
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two different worlds, Adams County and Harrisburg. Actually, I amfive miles outside Harrisburg where I am, sitting on my deck, I heard the distinctive sound of an AR-15 at the Harrisburg Rod and Gun Club. The must have been shooting in their rifles just before sundown.
Just heard it again, must be using night vision.
Hopefully, God Himself will strike Fauci dead before he destroys millions more lives.
“It’s just one of those sports where people fall in love with it,” Flick said. “For a lot of people, being at the racetrack is an escape from whatever’s going on, and as a fan, it’s a relatively inexpensive hobby. And the people that come to watch are so invested; it’s like a family.”
As an SCCA member and volunteer race official, I know exactly what he means. You come for the racing; you stay for the people.
I’ll bet ScoldyBirx is very disappointed, scowling and pursing her lips.
>Not that anyone is playing their games anymore.
“We got a message from the governor’s office — ‘You better not race,’” Mastriano said Monday.
—
This from the same asshat governor who can’t control the Antifa mobs burning down cities.
And probably wringing her scarf!
Yeah - and don’t forget - it’s the folks at the speedway that are probably putting folks at risk...can’t make this crap up...
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