Stewart-Haas, Penske employees test positive for COVID-19
Stewart-Haas Racing confirmed Friday night that two of its race shop employees have tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.
SHR released the following statement:
“Stewart-Haas Racing has experienced two positive COVID-19 test results, neither of which involved personnel who travel to race events.
“Robust protocols have been in place and continue to be followed diligently to mitigate the spread of the virus while maintaining the health and safety of all members of the organization and greater community.”
The cases are the first publicly announced of the virus among NASCAR team members. Following the cancellation of the original Atlanta race weekend in March, a NASCAR employee who worked at the track that weekend before the event was postponed tested positive for COVID-19.
Since NASCAR resumed its racing schedule on May 17, there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 among those who have attended races.
NASCAR undertakes temperature checks and medical screenings of all at-track personnel for every race but does not administer COVID-19 tests at the track.
There was no immediate response from NASCAR regarding SHR’s statement.
Penske COVID-19 case
On Saturday, Team Penske reported that one of its team members also tested positive for the virus.
“Earlier this week, Team Penske had one of its team members report positive for COVID-19. This employee has been in quarantine all week and has recovered without any further symptoms. Due to the team’s stringent protocols, only a few of our personnel had reason to quarantine and none of those individuals are experiencing any symptoms. The identities of those impacted, along with additional details, will not be released due to privacy concerns.”
North Carolina reported 1,549 new positive cases Saturday, bringing its official total to 51,389 cases - the 13th state to surpass 50,000 positive tests. North Carolina recorded its first coronavirus case on March 3.
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