Looking Through the COVID Haze
With COVID shutting down much of the world, motorsports navigates the murky waters of a pandemic.
This year in the automotive world has been unique to put it mildly. This unprecedented time raised many questions that held the automotive community in limbo: would there be racing? At certain points, it didn’t look good. Some series cancelled races, others their entire seasons, while some were able to postpone scheduled dates, ride it out, and reschedule them later in the year with special arrangements such as limited or no fans.
It was something nobody saw coming, and for some, everything hanged in the balance. Some tracks and the surrounding communities rely on these large racing events for business revenue. With the possibility of races not happening or still being run, but without spectators, it left many small companies and tracks on tough times, as they didn’t have that reliable stream of revenue coming in.
Now that we approach the end of the calendar year, and the conclusion of many race series, the question looms: What about next year? Many are wondering what the future holds. Will we be able to get the virus under control and see a return back to normalcy? Will there be a spike in COVID cases during flu season that leads to the cancellation of ALL racing next year? Unfortunately, only time will tell as we trek forward into this new territory. Until then, the best we can do is hope for that return to life as we knew it before COVID.
Thankfully, some of our partners have weathered the storm and managed a successful year on the racetrack. Our friends at Turner Motorsports (@turnermotorsport) have seen multiple wins in the IMSA Sprint Cup Championship, notably Bill Auberlen (@billauberlen) securing his record breaking 61st career win, and are currently hunting for the lead with both drivers sitting in the top 5. Stevens-Miller Racing (@stevens_miller_racing) saw great success in the Trans Am series, with driver Skeen capturing back to back Championships at Road Atlanta.
Rounding out the list of successes is driver Taylor Hull, who was able to pilot his Cadillac to a Championship in the inaugural Klutch Kickers drift series, as he concluded the Formula D season with a top 10 overall finish in the standings.
Turner Motorsports: https://www.instagram.com/turnermotorsport/
Stevens-Miller Racing: https://www.instagram.com/stevens_miller_racing
Taylor Hull: https://www.instagram.com/taylorhull82