No soundtrack but NASCAR hopes for a hit on return

FILE PHOTO: Sep 1, 2019; Darlington, SC, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones (20) celebrates after winning the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

(Reuters) - Like a movie with no musical score, NASCAR returns from a two-month novel coronavirus-forced hiatus on Sunday for a race without the fans who provide the background soundtrack for sporting events around the world.

Not even the growl from 40 V8 stockcar engines will make up for the silence in the empty grandstands at South Carolina's Darlington Raceway as NASCAR drivers discard iracing consoles for a return to the danger and excitement of the real thing.