Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile announced on Saturday that he expects approximately 30,000 fans to attend NASCAR's season opener—the Daytona 500.
"It's going to be the largest sporting event that happens in the United States since COVID hit," Wile said.
NASCAR was one of the first sports back after the pandemic shut it down on March 16, 2020. The drivers stayed home for 70 days, participating in live virtual races (iRacing), before NASCAR resumed live races.
The Speedway said in December that fan occupancy would be limited because of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.