NASCAR driver Austin Dillon has tested positive for covid-19, Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing team announced Saturday. The No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro driver is quarantining and will miss Sunday’s Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway road course.
Richard Childress Racing did not disclose whether Dillon, 30, was symptomatic but said Dillon’s wife, Whitney, and newborn son, Ace, “remain healthy and symptom-free.”
RCR part-time Xfinity driver Kaz Grala, 21, will replace Dillon in the No. 3 Chevy this weekend. Grala has two top-five finishes in races at Road America over the last two seasons. His best finish in the last five oval races was 13th place at Kansas this season.
Meanwhile Dillon, who already is locked into the playoffs with a race win at Texas, must produce two negative covid-19 tests taken at least 24 hours apart in order to return to NASCAR’s racing activities. The sanctioning body updated its event operations protocol last week to align with new CDC guidance of July 22, which recommends discontinuing testing after a 10-day isolation period if the individual is fever-free for a minimum of 24 hours without the use of medication. NASCAR said based on advice from consulting physicians, the 10-day isolation period begins the day of the first positive test (not at the onset of symptoms).
Dillon also must have written clearance from his personal physician to resume racing activity.
Dillon is the fourth NASCAR driver to test positive for the coronavirus. Jimmie Johnson tested positive in July, forcing him to miss a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Johnson produced two negative covid-19 tests the next week and returned to competition for the following NASCAR event.
Part-time Cup Series driver Brendan Gaughan tested positive for covid-19 earlier this season, as did Truck Series driver Spencer Davis. Gaughan will return to the Cup lineup this weekend at Daytona.
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