VICTOR JOECKS: King Sisolak needlessly bans fans from South Point 400

There should be fans in the stands to watch this Sunday’s South Point 400 NASCAR playoff race. It’s the latest example of how King Steve Sisolak’s absurd royal edicts are crushing Nevada’s economy.

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is massive. It seats 80,000 people. Speedway President Chris Powell asked His Majesty for permission to allow just 8,000 fans into the venue. That would be 10 percent of capacity. For comparison, casinos and indoor malls are open at 50 percent of capacity.

This should have been an easy decision. Race fans would have been outdoors, which experts say is safer than being indoors. The venue would have been at a lower capacity than other businesses the governor allows to operate. Plus, Powell said fans would have been spaced 20 feet apart.

Scientifically, it made no sense not to allow some fans to watch in person while permitting these other activities. But kings don’t allow themselves to be concerned by little things such as science. His Highness said no.

“I’m as disappointed in our governor as I could possibly be,” Powell said last week after the decision. “We have worked behind the scenes through every channel we know. I’ve even spoken to the governor. Two Wednesdays ago, I expressed to him how important this was to me and the speedway. He promised that he would get back to me … within 48 hours. He has yet to call me back.”

Powell is expressing a common frustration. King Sisolak has cocooned himself away from the millions of Nevadans his emergency dictates hurt. He sometimes goes weeks without a press conference. I’ve heard from several people that his chief of staff, Michelle White, is really the one running the show. White’s background is in political campaigns, not managing state government. Little wonder the governor’s staff can get him booked on CNN but can’t find someone to fix Nevada’s disastrous unemployment system.

It’s likely the real problem for the speedway wasn’t safety, but optics. Earlier this month, King Sisolak threw a hissy fit over President Donald Trump holding two political rallies. He said Trump’s “reckless and selfish” rallies put “countless lives in danger.” Almost two weeks later, the prophesied wave of deaths has yet to materialize.

But the governor would have looked incredibly hypocritical with the approval of 8,000 fans after that high-profile tirade. His Highness would rather keep Nevada’s economy in the toilet than admit partisan politics motivated his faux outrage.

Moves such as this are part of the reason why Nevada has the nation’s highest unemployment rate at 13.2 percent. As a tourist destination, the coronavirus was always going to devastate the Las Vegas economy. But Texas figured out a way to host the National Finals Rodeo. Sisolak didn’t. His unnecessary restrictions and fear-mongering keep making things worse.

Unless King Sisolak changes course, the stands at the LVMS provide a terrifying preview of Las Vegas’ future — much emptier than they needed to be.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Listen to him discuss his columns each Monday at 3 p.m. with Kevin Wall on AM 670 KMZQ Right Talk. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com.