North Carolina court says speedway can sue top health official over COVID-19 closure

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s highest court says a racetrack shuttered for defying state gathering limits during the pandemic can sue the state’s top health regulator. Ace Speedway in Alamance County and its owners accuse Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration of violating its constitutional rights. The state Supreme Court agreed unanimously Friday that the speedway can seek financial damages. A speedway operator alleges he was targeted by Cooper for closure because he had spoken out against the administration’s crowd restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.  State attorneys disagree and say the speedway was cited because it repeatedly and publicly violated the law.