SPARTA, Ky. — Saturday night, two days removed and approximately 900 miles away from the bloodshed that shook the greater Dallas area but also our nation, NASCAR’s traveling road show will stage its 18th Sprint Cup race of the year.

After the details of the shooting that left five police officers dead and seven others wounded emerged Thursday night, all the anticipation and talk of new rules packages, a reconfigured race track and the home stretch for the sport’s playoffs seem much less significant than they did 24 hours ago. Grappling with the world’s struggles with violence — most recently in Dallas, in Baton Rouge, in St. Paul and in Orlando last month, and in so many other datelines now etched in our minds — carries far more weight outside the microcosm of hosting an automobile race.

With so many instances of bad news gripping news network headlines, the chance to watch cars making laps at speed can serve as a temporary reprieve from the heartache. It’s an opportunity that hits home — perhaps this week more than others — within the confines of the NASCAR garage.

“This is definitely a distraction for a lot of people to get their minds off of things that have been affected or not affected or worried about something,” said Kevin Harvick , who will start first in Saturday’s 400-miler, the Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “It’s definitely something that we can play a big role in being positive impacts on a lot of people’s lives. It’s a daily reminder of a situation or somebody has cancer or just died or people in the situation that we just had in Dallas with everybody worried and frightened about the things that are going on in their city.”

The question of whether NASCAR drivers are athletes has surfaced periodically in recent years, but it’s worth considering whether their star power can take on greater meaning. Harvick notices, whether it’s from fans flocking to him at each whistle stop on the sport’s nationwide crisscross or from occasions that carry more gravity. The former Sprint Cup champion says it’s “not uncommon” to see pictures from fans of their loved ones “in the casket in your race gear.”

“At that particular point,” Harvick says, “it’s fairly obvious that you need to try to do the best you can to not take for granted what we do and realize exactly how much it means to a lot of people.”

The grind of the sports world’s schedule ticks onward, but not without taking time to honor the fallen. Kentucky Speedway paused its daily activity for a five-minute moment of silence Friday afternoon, bringing a rare quiet to the 1.5-mile speedway. The remembrance coincided with an observed moment of silence in downtown Dallas and other parts of the country.

Hackneyed sayings such as “the show must go on” seem trite in the face of national tragedy. There is mourning, to be sure. But sport also provides the opportunity for healing and the power to uplift. Watch the Saints’ return to Katrina-ravaged New Orleans, or President Bush’s ceremonial first pitch in the World Series at Yankee Stadium or Dale Earnhardt Jr. ‘s star-spangled celebration at Dover in the days and weeks after 9/11 for reference.

“I think it’s a balancing act,” says Brad Keselowski , who will start second in the Quaker State 400. “You don’t want to be, maybe the right term is unworldly, and ignore what’s going on. Of course we all want to know what’s going on, and I’m as curious as anyone else, but I also understand that a lot of the attraction that our fans have to this sport and any sport is to help them get out of those moments or get out of that mental space.

“I think, for me, I try to balance that with trying to be cognizant on my own, but also understanding that in some ways I am an entertainer as a race car driver and a lot of the role that I think I serve in the community with what I do is to help brighten people’s day and make them smile.”

Harvick did his part Friday morning, tweeting out birthday wishes to his son, Keelan, who hammed it up for the camera on the day he turned 4. The funny photo was a small gesture, but one that corresponds with the larger-scale roles of the sport’s stars — their ability to thrill with driving talent, to engage with personal interactions and to give back with their greater contributions to society.

“We have the opportunity to have big impacts on people’s lives,” Harvick said. “Every day you learn more and more about how much of an impact you have. Sometimes you can get so buried into what you are doing, but we are so fortunate to be sitting here doing what we are doing in this environment. Then you see all the real world things that are happening around you and sometimes it’s easy to forget that you are pretty lucky to be sitting in the position that you are in.”