North America is getting live sporting events in May.
NASCAR announced on Thursday that it would return to action on May 17 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.
It will be the first major sporting event to be held in the United States since mass postponements in mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The 400-mile Cup Series race will be the first of seven in 11 days at two different tracks — Darlington and Charlotte Motor Speedway — throughout May.
The schedule is as follows:
Sunday, May 17: Cup Series, Darlington Raceway, 400 miles (FOX, 3:30 p.m. ET)
Tuesday, May 19: Xfinity Series, Darlington Raceway, 200 miles (FS1, 8 p.m.)
Wednesday, May 20: Cup Series, Darlington Raceway, 310 miles (FS1, 7:30 p.m.)
Sunday, May 24: Cup Series, Charlotte Motor Speedway, 600 miles (FOX 6 p.m.)
Monday, May 25: Xfinity Series, Charlotte Motor Speedway, 300 miles (FS1, 7:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, May 26: Gander Trucks, Charlotte Motor Speedway, 200 miles (FS1, 8 p.m.)
Wednesday, May 27: Cup Series, Charlotte Motor Speedway, 500 kilometers (FS1, 8 p.m.)
“NASCAR and its teams are eager and excited to return to racing, and have great respect for the responsibility that comes with a return to competition,” Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer said in a statement. “NASCAR will return in an environment that will ensure the safety of our competitors, officials, and all those in the local community. We thank local, state, and federal officials and medical experts, as well as everyone in the industry, for the unprecedented support in our return to racing, and we look forward to joining our passionate fans in watching cars return to the track.”
NASCAR has been sidelined since March 8 when Joey Logano took the checkered flag at the FanShield 500. It was just the fourth race of the season, which is kicked off by the Daytona 500 every year.
