Navigating COVID-19 protocols is tricky for NASCAR, drivers
By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports NASCAR Writer
BROOKLYN, Mich. — NASCAR drivers, for the most part, have not wanted to discuss their vaccination status. They consider it a private health matter.
It’s also a matter that could keep them out of a race, as Corey LaJoie found out last week.
LaJoie recorded a NASCAR podcast on Aug. 16, and someone in the studio ended up testing positive for COVID-19. Because LaJoie isn’t vaccinated, he now has to wait seven days before he can get a negative test and be allowed to participate.
If he had been vaccinated, a negative test three-to-five days after the contact would have made him eligible to race, according to NASCAR’s rules.
Those NASCAR rules have frustrated some Cup drivers, and NASCAR held a call with them Friday to go through the reasons for the policy, which mirrors Centers for Disease Control guidelines. Drivers argued that a negative test upon entering the facility on race day should be good enough to race.
NASCAR listened but didn’t budge on its rules. NASCAR drivers are not unionized and now must make a choice if not vaccinated: Get vaccinated and have less of a chance of missing a race, or hope for the best while limiting public appearances.
Joey Logano did both. He got vaccinated last week and has cut out all public appearances, canceling three at Michigan.
"Corey was exposed ... and even if you test negative, you can’t come back racing. That doesn’t settle well," Logano said. "It made all the drivers, I’m sure, very nervous after that.
"It makes you check up what you’re doing."
NASCAR also changed protocols, starting at Michigan, to limit driver interaction with fans and guests. It did not allow team guests inside team haulers or out on the grid by the cars prior to the race. NASCAR set a path for drivers to get to introductions and asked them not to stop to sign for fans. All interaction with media was outdoors, and media were required to wear masks.
"The Corey LaJoie piece, how he is not sick and he is not here today is very, very frightening," driver Christopher Bell said. "It’s not ideal for sure. It’s very eye-opening for all of us drivers."
Drivers are at the track for only a few hours in a week. They are required to report to NASCAR if they have a close contact who tests positive for COVID-19. Whether any driver in the playoffs — in which each round is just three races — would actually admit to that is questionable.
LaJoie, who is 29th in the standings, was around a NASCAR employee, and that's likely the only reason NASCAR knew about it.
"There’s pressure to [get vaccinated]," Logano said of the protocols. "Does it force you? But it could in a way.
"It made my decision for me. It’s backed you into a corner where you have to make a decision what you think is best."
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NASCAR has a medical staff with drivers' vaccination status on file, so the league theoretically knows if a driver has been vaccinated. (NASCAR won’t disclose how it is verifying vaccination.)
"Everybody is going to make a different decision [on vaccination] based on what they feel is best for them and their family," Aric Almirola said.
"At the end of the day, racing is important. It is our livelihood, but I think people will still make choices based on what they feel is right for their health and their family, regardless of what ramifications might come."
Drivers Tyler Reddick and William Byron, who were among the drivers who met with media Sunday morning, said they have been vaccinated. Byron, whose mother had brain surgery this year, indicated that being able to visit her in the hospital created some incentive for him to get vaccinated.
"For me, I just stay the course and limit my exposure and do the same thing so I can stay racing," Byron said. "I try to limit the risk that I have and be able to do my job. That’s all I’m worried about it."
Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin and Justin Haley have been vaccinated as part of team sponsorship programs. LaJoie is a teammate of Haley’s at Spire Motorsports, whose team owner, Jeff Dickerson, said he supported NASCAR’s rules and policies.
Teams could require vaccinations, but it seems that no team has. The drivers know a championship can be worth millions of dollars to the organization, in addition to their own wallets.
"There are thousands of families it affects," Logano said of the repercussions if he were to be sidelined while vying for a championship. "If I get COVID or exposed to it and can’t race, I’m taking food away from people’s families. That doesn’t settle well for me."
One thing NASCAR won’t do is require vaccination for all participants. But it could encourage vaccination, if it wanted, by altering its waiver decisions; a waiver is required for a driver to miss a race and still be eligible for the playoffs and championship. NASCAR is granting waivers for drivers who miss because of COVID-19 or a close contact and is not considering a policy of not granting waivers to those who are unvaccinated.
"I don’t think anyone knows what the right answer is or how you navigate this properly," defending Cup champion Chase Elliott said of whether the protocols will encourage vaccination. "I’m going to make my decisions with the information I have available to the best of my ability, and I’m going to keep that to myself."
Drivers obviously want that choice, though they have seen athletes in other sports and other racing series not get that choice.
"I’m really happy that they haven’t went down the mandatory road because I don’t think that is fair from any perspective at all," former Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. said of NASCAR policies. "I don’t think it is fair to force somebody to do something they don’t want to do.
"If they want to take the chance, they’ll take the chance. ... I’m happy with the route NASCAR has taken. They’re being as smart as possible and as safe as possible."
Considering that they wear helmets and don’t have contact with competitors, some drivers question whether there is a safety risk if they test negative. The only time they could have contact when not masked or wearing a helmet would be if they are in an accident and need medical care.
"It is a personal choice, whether you are or you aren’t, and it shouldn’t have to be made public with the testing systems that we have at our disposal," Austin Dillon said.
"There are other forms of sport that have a much stricter policy than NASCAR. Ours has been the best in allowing us to live our lives the best we can."
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Thinking out loud
The Brad Keselowski-Austin Dillon wreck at the end of the second stage at Michigan appeared bizarre. They had finished the stage and had nothing to race for at that moment.
Dillon did come up a little bit, but he was so far on the apron that it seemed that would be expected. Keselowski appeared to hold his line and turned Dillon.
Keselowski’s reaction after the race and on social media showed that it wasn’t on purpose.
Chalk that one up as a racing incident — an unfortunate one and maybe one in which Keselowski could have had more awareness, but nothing abhorrent or malicious.
Social spotlight
Stat of note
Ford drivers have won seven consecutive races at Michigan.
They said it
"I don’t want to be a one-win guy a year. It’s cool to kind of get a couple. Hopefully, we can get some more, that’s for sure." – Ryan Blaney, who has multiple victories in a season for the first time in his career
Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Looking for more NASCAR content? Sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!
