MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — As the green flag flew at the start of the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway near Long Pond – many NASCAR fans had their thoughts on western Pennsylvania and former President Donald Trump.
Some recounted the moment they learned about the attempted assassination Saturday night.
"It's a bad day in America to have that type of thing happen on public television like that," said Carter Lynch from Maryland.
"My buddy Joey knocked on the door and told me I didn't even know I was in the camper, and he was like Trump was just shot, and I was like, holy crap, so then we turned on the news," said John from Buffalo, New York.
"It was pretty crazy. My buddy was the one who showed me he had some friends watching it live, and we were all astonished to see what happened," said Brent Reed of Delaware.
Trump flags flew at campsites across the in-field. Some fans traded swag from their favorite NASCAR race or driver for Trump shirts and hats.
"The incidents that happened yesterday are a lot bigger than NASCAR, so I wanted to show my support for America," said John.
Fans say during a time of division, they can all agree that violence has no place in our country.
"t's just awful, regardless of your political affiliation it's just awful to see somebody running for public office get put in that type of situation regardless of who you vote for, it's not what you want for America," explained Lynch.
"You don't want to see anyone get hurt on either side, but we want things to happen the right way and fair," said John.
Governor Josh Shapiro was supposed to make an appearance at the Tricky Triangle but had to cancel to travel to Butler to meet with the families of the other victims killed and injured at former President Trump's rally.