"You know when there’s a pivotal moment in a scenario or a story that makes you realize the magnitude of it? That was the moment."

The March timeline of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg belongs in a time capsule as the perfect summation of how quickly the novel coronavirus shut society down.

On Tuesday of race week, Pinellas County had its first two positive cases. On Wednesday, Mayor Rick Kriseman said the race was still on, with fans.

But by Thursday morning, spectators were barred from one of the Tampa Bay area’s biggest sporting events. And 23 minutes before noon Friday, a red flag ended the Grand Prix mid-session.

From full-go to called-off in 48 hours.

Read more at the Tampa Bay Times