Speedway protest over COVID-19 limits draws only small crowd

PINE HALL, N.C. (AP) — Stock car racing has turned into the leading battleground over COVID-19 crowd restrictions in North Carolina.

Track owners have taken their fight to reopen to the streets and to court. But on Saturday, a protest at one race track attracted so few people that the demonstration was perfectly legal under the state’s restrictions.

The News & Observer reports that at 311 Speedway in Stokes County, fewer than 25 people showed up to protest, despite a live band and a free cheeseburger and fries with a ticket purchase.

Gov. Roy Cooper’s coronavirus restrictions limit outdoor gatherings to 25 people.