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NASCAR informs teams about Ebola virus as series heads to Texas

NASCAR has sent information to teams about the Ebola virus as the series heads to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend.

The track, which will play host to NASCAR races Oct. 31-Nov. 2, is located about 35 miles northwest of Dallas and 20 miles north of Fort Worth. All three of NASCAR's national series will race there this weekend.

An Ebola victim, Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian who was visiting the United States, died Oct. 8 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital and two workers who treated him contracted the virus, sparking fears of an outbreak in the Dallas area earlier this month, an outbreak that never occurred.

There have been plenty of sporting events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since the treatment of Duncan, including Cowboys games and the Oklahoma-Texas football game. NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Brad Keselowski visited TMS last week and said he had no concerns.

“My thoughts on that are if it gets worse, then we’ll start taking measures,” Keselowski said. “Not that I want to be reactive instead of proactive, but there’s a certain amount of proactive work that could be justified and at this point, in my opinion, we haven’t reached it.”

The information NASCAR sent to teams Monday was information gathered from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The memo reminds teams that a person can get Ebola only if they have recently traveled to countries where there are outbreaks, have treated Ebola patients or "come into contact with someone who recently traveled from West Africa AND has symptoms of Ebola."

"NASCAR will continue to closely monitor the situation and remain in communication with our group of consulting physicians as well as our track partners and local public health officials," the memo tells the teams.

Unlike some other sporting events, NASCAR drivers and crews have significant interaction with fans, often shaking hands and posing for pictures. NASCAR does not recommend any changes to daily routines for the event, where fans will come from all over the country and a crowd of more than 100,000 is possible.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2014-10-27/ebola-virus-outbreak-nascar-informs-teams-texas-race-sprint-cup