Berlin Raceway Teams and Spectators,
- Jun 10, 2020
- 2 min read
As we are all eager and anxious to get back to the track this weekend, we have to be sure to continue to abide by our state and county regulations pertaining to Covid-19 & Social Distancing. We have been granted permission to host these open practices and if everything goes well and we do our part by sticking to these specific guidelines, it will only help us get to back to racing with spectators sooner rather than later. We, nor anyone else expected a global pandemic, so like many, this is a learning experience for everyone therefore rules/regulations are changing daily. With that, All we can do is relay what we know to our teams and fans and to this very minute here it is:
-Open Practices will be held Saturday, June 13 and Saturday, June 20 from 1-5 pm with pit window and pit gates opening at 11 am
-All persons entering the pit area must sign the standard pit waiver as well as a Covid Waiver. Must have a picture ID present when turning in the covid waiver and signing of a pit waiver. (17-under entering pit area) BOTH parents must sign Covid waiver form as well as Minor release pit form.
-Must maintain social distancing. Please do your best to respect this rule as well as others around you and stay with the team(s) you may be with.
- Haulers will park every other stall to help with maintaining social distancing (We know some teams have purchased parking stalls but please do your part in spacing properly)
-Unfortunately, there are no spectators allowed on the concourse or in the grandstands for these open practice events
-Schedule/Opening day: We currently are unable to give an exact date for the Opener as well as any additional schedule of events. All we can tell you is this: At this time we have not been given clearance nor any sort of timeline but once we are given the approval to open and host race events with fans, we will be doing so IMMEDIATELY so be ready. We do not know when any of this could happen because as mentioned these decisions are changing daily but when we do we will inform you. We also would expect that once approval is given, a capacity limit would be in effect so we just wanted to make everyone aware. Once an opening date is approved we will also establish an updated revised schedule and get that published.
So in conclusion this is what we currently know and look forward to seeing teams and cars at the track this weekend. For the fans, all we can say is stay healthy and safe, be patient and hopefully, we can see you all soon.
Reading that they have to park haulers every other stall and can't allow spectators yet really hit home how much COVID changed things; it's like a compatibility test for how well we can adapt our passions to new rules.
The open practices were a teaser and now I'm absolutely hooked again. Watching those cars tear around the track after months of silence was genuinely emotional. I've been using a birthday event countdown tool repurposed for the opening race day — whenever that gets announced, I'll be ready. I also kept busy during the off-season with some fun tools: a DnD character name generator for a side hobby, a gothic text style generator for designing some fan merch, and a random country generator for planning a racing-themed road trip across different states. For the more practical side, I used a cubic to feet volume converter for a garage storage project, a mixed number calculator for splitting parts costs with teammates, a density calculator for a fuel mixture…
I'll be honest — when I first read the list of requirements for the open practices, I was a little overwhelmed. Covid waiver, picture ID, both parents for minors, every-other-stall parking... it seemed like a lot. But on the day itself, everything flowed smoothly and the reasoning behind each rule became obvious. I used a camping checklist printable as a base template to build my own pre-event checklist, and double-checked our food supplies with a recipe calorie breakdown tool for the tailgate snacks. I also converted some measurements using a grams to cups converter for a homemade energy bar recipe I brought along. The fence around the pit area was well-maintained — I even used a fence material estimator out of curiosity while walking…
What struck me most about the June open practices was how well the racing community self-policed. Everyone respected the social distancing rules, teams stayed in their own spaces, and there was a genuine sense of collective responsibility. I used a strength training benchmark tool to stay in shape during the long off-season, and kept my spirits up with some classic motivational movie quotes. I also explored my personality a bit during the downtime — ran my name through a numerology name calculator and checked my moon sign reading for good measure. When race day finally comes back with full crowds, it's going to feel like the greatest day in Berlin Raceway history. The community earned it.
We brought our two kids to the June 20th open practice and despite the no-spectator grandstand rule, the pit area experience was incredible for them. They loved watching the cars up close and learning about the teams. To keep them entertained during the drive up, I used a random animal generator for a quiz game in the car, and a bubble letter name generator to make fun signs for their favourite drivers. I also checked their growth milestones beforehand using a child growth chart calculator — totally unrelated to racing, but hey, multitasking mom life. The minor waiver process for under-17s was straightforward and the staff were incredibly kind to the little ones. Berlin Raceway is a true family venue.