The BulleTin • Tuesday, May 11, 2021 A7
MOTOR SPORTS
DEAR ABBY
NASCAR starting to allow access,
full capacity a year after restart
BY JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
Kevin Harvick crossed the fin-
ish line at Darlington Raceway
a year ago and was struck by
the stillness and silence of the
empty grandstands.
NASCAR was one of the
first major sports to resume
competition early in the pan-
demic, setting its own path
in a strange new world of
health screenings, temperature
checks and empty race tracks.
“I didn’t think it was going
to be that much different, and
then we won the race and it
is dead silent out here,” said
Harvick, who paused to take
in the eerie silence that day.
“It’s weird. There’s nobody up
there.”
It has taken almost a full
year but NASCAR’s slow walk
toward normalcy is ready to
hit another gear: Daytona In-
ternational Speedway, Darling-
ton Raceway, Kansas Speed-
way and Pocono Raceway all
announced last week their
grandstands will open to full
capacity later this year. Atlanta
Motor Speedway plans the
same for July.
NASCAR re-opened its in-
field to sponsors, guests and
media at Darlington last week-
end as a trial run. The garage
and infield have been closed to
nearly everyone since March 8,
2020, and NASCAR President
Steve Phelps had said it would
remain that way until a vac-
cine was widely available.
Vaccines have been avail-
able since early April to almost
everyone in North Carolina,
where most NASCAR teams
are based, and it allowed NA-
SCAR to put a plan in place
for a reopening. There is no
vaccine requirement for com-
petitors, but NASCAR per-
mitted teams, drivers and
manufacturers to admit a total
of 350 fully vaccinated guests
and sponsors Sunday at Dar-
lington.
“It’s so important for us.
Some of the key players and
our sponsors have such inter-
est in it, and they love being
here and being a part of it,”
said Joe Gibbs, team owner
for the winning car driven by
Martin Truex Jr.
Gibbs included Bass Pro
Shops CEO Johnny Morris
among his guests.
“We had guys flying in from
Terry Renna/AP
Martin Truex Jr. talks on a cell phone as team owner Joe Gibbs stands nearby after Truex won the NASCAR
Cup Series auto race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday in Darlington, South Carolina.
all over,” Gibbs said. “It’s very,
very important to get those
key people from the compa-
nies back into our sport, and
I’m looking forward to getting
to go again and do hospitali-
ties.”
The infield will be closed
this weekend at Dover, but the
footprint is expected to expand
to 550 sponsors and guests
at Circuit of the Americas in
Texas and the Coca-Cola 600
at Charlotte Motor Speedway
later this month. Those two
races will help set access proto-
cols moving forward.
A year ago, NASCAR re-
started its engines 71 days af-
ter the series shut down and
it was the first major sport
to complete its entire season
last November. It did so by
never changing its procedures
during the pandemic.
NASCAR does not test for
COVID-19 and the tempera-
ture check and health screen-
ings that have been used since
the sport restarted have not
changed. The motorhome lot
has been largely off limits to
families, which created some
grumbling as some drivers
noted it was absurd to enforce
banishment during races for
those spending time together
away from the track.
Motorsports are unlike any
other sport in that the hall-
mark of the industry is the
behind-the-rope experience
offered to sponsors, fans and
even the families of the com-
petitors:
• A driver can bring his chil-
dren to the pre-race meeting,
the post-race news conference
and can stand at his car with
his entire family all the way up
until its time to start his en-
gine.
• The sponsor is given ac-
cess to the team, can sit on the
pit stand during the race, or
mingle in a hospitality suite
with clients and customers
during a meet-and-greet with
a driver and team owner.
• Fans can purchase passes
into the garage and watch cars
roll through inspection, walk
down pit road and position
themselves to chase their fa-
vorite driver for a selfie or an
autograph. Infield camping
spots are sometimes visited by
drivers cruising by on a cart.
IndyCar has had two indus-
try-wide mass vaccinations,
will host 135,000 fans on May
30 at the Indianapolis 500 and
has been operating as busi-
ness as usual since the season
opened last month. But some
of NASCAR’s drivers have ex-
pressed vaccine hesitancy, and
Phelps called mandating the
shot “a bit of a slippery slope”
so re-opening the garage has
taken time.
It has also come with some
confusion about the current
rules for garage decorum, par-
ticularly as mask mandates are
being lifted in various states.
The Darlington weekend
marked the first time Fox pit
reporters Jamie Little and Re-
gan Smith did not wear masks
while on camera; some drivers
took their masks off.
NASCAR clarified Monday
that masks are still mandated
in the garage for everyone ex-
cept drivers, who are social-
ly-distanced when they are be-
ing interviewed on camera.
Truex noted his brother-in-
law works on Sheldon Creed’s
winning truck and couldn’t be
part of the photographs Friday
night: “He’s like ‘They wouldn’t
let us in victory lane and I
don’t understand because we
were all wearing masks and
when we get done here in vic-
tory lane we’re all going to get
in the van together and drive
home,’” Truex said.
It was the same for Truex as
he celebrated his third win of
the season, pretty much with-
out his crew.
“I think it’s time to get back
to doing things like we always
did, and I think it’s slowly go-
ing that direction,” he said. “I
can’t wait until it’s back to the
way it used to be.”
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: I have been
married to my second hus-
band for more than 15 years.
My 30+-year-old son from my
first marriage, who was born
disabled, lives with us. He
walks and talks, but cannot be
left unattended. He also needs
medication. He cannot read
or write, but looks like he has
no medical issues at all.
I have no extended family
members in the state. My hus-
band and I were invited to a
family wedding. However, my
disabled son was not. Bride’s
rule: No children allowed. I
pointed out that he is older
than she is. He sees this rela-
tive several times a year.
Child care is hard to find
and expensive. I do not know
if others tried to get the bride
to change her mind. My hus-
band attended alone while my
son and I spent the evening
with friends and had fun. He
didn’t say anything to cause a
confrontation.
Please share your thoughts.
I get very sad whenever fam-
ily events come around and
she is there. Life is different
when you have a family with
special needs.
— Hurt in the East
Dear Hurt: I agree, life is
different for families in which
someone has special needs.
If you haven’t already, I think
you have the right to express
your feelings to the bride. It
would be better than silently
nursing a grudge and fuming
when you see her.
While it would have been
nice if she had included your
son in the invitation, she was
within her rights to invite —
or exclude — anyone if she
had concerns. Because your
husband was able to represent
the family while you and your
son had fun elsewhere, from
my perspective, everything
turned out well.
Dear Abby: My boyfriend
never gets off his phone —
like ever! The first thing he
does in the morning is wake
up and grab his phone. He
was off one day last week and
— I’m not exaggerating —
he didn’t put it down for 13
hours.
He plays this one particu-
lar game, and it’s all he does.
It’s affecting our relationship,
but if I say anything about it,
he laughs, gets mad or ignores
me. I don’t know what else to
do. Help!
— Woman vs. Phone in Ohio
Dear Woman: Was your
boyfriend always like this? If
the answer is no, he may have
become addicted to gaming,
which, as of 2020, had be-
come a multibillion-dollar
industry. According to The
Addiction Center, the “aver-
age” gamer spends six hours a
week glued to his or her cell-
phone. That your boyfriend
went on a 13-hour binge is
cause for alarm. One sign of
addiction is when it interferes
with daily life or relationships.
That he blows you off when
you try to discuss it tells me
he is deep in denial.
There is treatment for
gaming addiction, but only
if the addict is willing to ad-
mit there’s a problem. Treat-
ment may involve private
counseling or, in some cases,
inpatient care. However, if
this is unaffordable, On-Line
Gamers Anonymous (olga-
non.org) may be a helpful
alternative. It is a 12-step pro-
gram based on the principles
of AA. If you go online, you
will find there is a fellowship
of friends and family mem-
bers of gaming addicts. You
might want to check it out. If
you intend to continue this
romance, get out of the house
when he binges and do some-
thing YOU enjoy.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Georgia Nicols
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
MOON ALERT: There are no restrictions to shopping or important deci-
sions today. The New Moon is exact in Taurus at 12 p.m. today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR TUESDAY MAY 11, 2021: You are talent-
ed, hardworking and very independent. You have high standards, and you know
what you want. At times you are a perfectionist. Your year ahead will be more
fast-paced and quicker in every way. You will be curious about more things, and
you will be more excited about life. Many choices will be available to you!
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Today you’re impatient with restrictions, rules and regulations, especial-
ly with home and family. (Hey, it happens to us all.) You are a freedom-loving
sign, and you need space to move! Define your boundaries, but be polite.
Tonight: Obsessed about shopping.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Today you’re eager for something fresh. You want to meet new peo-
Medina Spirit
In the meantime, Baffert
continued to deal with the fall-
out from his fifth horse to have
failed a drug test in over a year.
Medina Spirit was found
to have 21 picograms of beta-
methasone, which is some-
times used to treat pain and
inflammation in horses. It was
the same drug found in Baf-
fert-trained filly Gamine, who
finished third in last fall’s Ken-
tucky Oaks before being dis-
qualified following a test. Baf-
fert was fined $1,500.
Baffert acknowledged the
criticism he is receiving on so-
cial media and understands the
public scrutiny of him as the
face of horse racing. He also
expressed disappointment with
Churchill Downs officials for a
statement announcing his sus-
pension soon after he revealed
the failed drug test.
“I thought I had had a pretty
good relation(ship) with them
with all the stuff I’ve done with
my Triple Crown winners,” he
said. “I’m the face of the sport
and I’m trying to promote my
sport. And that was a pretty
low blow, what they did yester-
day. I wish they would’ve called
me.”
With that, Baffert’s hope is
that Medina Spirit can make a
strong showing in the Preak-
ness and put the public skepti-
cism to rest — for now.
“I want him to run a good
race because now everybody’s
piling on him,” Baffert said.
“It’s probably more pressure
now that he’s got to run well.”
He was a first-round draft
pick by Denver in 2010, but his
long windup led to a short NFL
career. He spent time with the
Broncos, the New York Jets,
New England and Philadel-
phia. His last NFL game came
with the Jets in 2012.
They cut him in April 2013,
three months after then-Jag-
uars general manager Dave
Caldwell famously said he
wouldn’t sign Tebow “even if
he’s released.”
Tebow has received rock-star
media coverage at every NFL
stop and might get as much
attention in Jacksonville as
franchise quarterback Trevor
Lawrence, the top pick in the
2021 draft.
Tebow won a playoff game
with Denver in 2012, but never
developed into a consistent
NFL starter. He declined sev-
eral suggested moves to tight
end — he even asked Meyer for
guidance — and then ended up
switching sports and joining
the Mets.
“When he was a quarter-
back in the NFL, that was a
big topic,” Meyer said at the
end of the draft. “I was so busy
I couldn’t give him the time.
‘What do you think? What do
you think?’ And I didn’t know.
I was too busy to even think it
through.
“I know playing a position in
the NFL without (experience),
that’s a long shot. This was
years ago.”
But when Tebow asked
about an NFL comeback in
February, Meyer invited him
to the facility for a workout.
Meyer made it clear he didn’t
feel like he owed Tebow any-
thing, either.
“I have one job and that is to
win games with the Jackson-
ville Jaguars,” Meyer said. “If
Tim Tebow or Travis Etienne
can help us win, then that’s
my job to get them ready to go
play.”
Continued from A5
Those events will unfold
with Baffert back in California
instead of at the race where he
will go for a record eighth vic-
tory.
“I go to Baltimore to have a
good time. It’s a fun trip,” Baf-
fert said. “I don’t want to take
away from the horses. I think
it’d be a distraction if I went.
I think it’d be a distraction if I
win. The owners will be there.
(Assistant trainer) Jimmy
(Barnes) can handle it.”
Whether he is in Baltimore
or not, the focus right now is
on Medina Spirit and Baffert.
Medina Spirit and Concert
Tour, who skipped the Derby,
were being transported by van
to Baltimore and scheduled to
arrive late Monday. The field
for the 146th Preakness will be
drawn on Tuesday after being
pushed back a day because of
the uncertainty.
Tebow
Continued from A5
Tebow would become the
sixth guy on Jacksonville’s ros-
ter who previously played for
Meyer, joining Farrell, running
back Carlos Hyde, guard An-
drew Norwell, defensive end
Lerentee McCray and defen-
sive tackle DaVon Hamilton.
Tebow played quarterback
for Meyer between 2006 and
2009, helping the Gators win
two national championships
while becoming one of the
most recognizable — and po-
larizing — athletes in college
sports.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Trainer Bob Baffert watches workouts at Churchill Downs ahead of the
ple, see new places, hear new ideas — anything. “Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?” A
spontaneous short trip or a chance to meet new faces will fill the bill. Be open
to whatever comes your way. Tonight: Lighten up. Get a grip.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
You’re keen to earn money, which is why you’re busting your buns.
However, today you might entertain a wild and crazy idea that’s a long shot.
Conversely, some of you might impulsively spend money on big ticket items at
a moment’s notice. (Keep your receipts.) Tonight: Let go of worries.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Fiery Mars is in your sign now until June 11. (Note: Mars is only in your
sign once every two years for about six weeks.) This is a major vitamin B shot!
Today this boost of energy makes you impulsive, energetic and ready for any-
thing! “Next?” Tonight: Be gentle with a friend.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
You feel restless today, which is OK. Make friends with this feeling.
What’s happening is you are contemplating new changes, new ideas and new
ways of doing things, but you’re just not sure where to begin. Think of ideas
and tell yourself, “It’s going on the list.” Tonight: Be polite with authority figures.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
You might be in competition with a friend or a group. In fact, something
out of the blue will stir the pot. Be open to whatever happens. Stay flexible, be-
cause you’re not sure in which direction to jump. (Hey, if you’re moving forward
you have to encounter new ideas.) Tonight: Avoid blind dogma.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
You are ambitious now, which is why you’re keen to expand your em-
pire. Your reach might become vast! (Who knows?) The thing to know is that
today your dealings with bosses, parents and VIPs are unpredictable, even
surprising. (Note: this includes the police.) Tonight: Avoid obsessions about
debt and finances.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Unexpected opportunities to travel might fall in your lap today. Ad-
mittedly, scheduled plans might be delayed or canceled. Yes, it’s a crapshoot.
The bottom line is you’re impulsive and eager to explore new places and meet
new faces. Relax; this will happen. Tonight: You will attract someone powerful
to you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Be cautious about financial dealings with others, especially partners.
Something unexpected might impact your arrangement with someone. (This
includes your bank.) Keep your eyes open to protect your best interests. To-
night: Stay calm and get rest.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
In your dealings with your closest relationships today, a wildcard is at
play. Someone else might do something you least expect. They might demand
more freedom in the relationship. Could be anything. Be on guard. Tonight: Be
patient with kids and romantic partners.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Your work routine will be interrupted today. The trick to this is to give
yourself enough wiggle room to cope with the unexpected. This is no biggie.
Nothing you can’t handle. But hey, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”
Tonight: Be flexible with family.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Parents should be vigilant today because this is an accident-prone day
for your kids. No matter what their age, know where they are at all times. Mean-
while, social occasions might have last-minute changes. You might receive a
fun invitation out of the blue. Tonight: Don’t be obsessed.