NASCAR announced Friday that it has extended its postponement of races due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to now include the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway event weekend which was set to run from May 8 – 10, 2020.
NASCAR had announced on March 16 that it had postponed its season for at least six weeks until May 3, but in the interest of safety, the sport will continue to remain idle for the immediate future.
Moving ahead, however, NASCAR said it hopes to return to competition in May without fans in attendance at a date and location to be determined.
The statement read: “NASCAR is postponing the scheduled events on May 8-9 at Martinsville Speedway. Our intention remains to run all 36 races, with a potential return to racing without fans in attendance in May at a date and location to be determined.
“The health and safety of our competitors, employees, fans, and the communities in which we run continues to be our top priority. We will continue to consult with health experts and local, state and federal officials as we assess future scheduling options.”
Martinsville Speedway which was set to host its first official NASCAR Cup Series night race for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 said it will work closely with NASCAR officials on a rescheduled race date, while maintaining contact with local and federal health officials for the latest information on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to thank all of our dedicated fans who were set to join us during our May race weekend and our first NASCAR Cup Series race under the lights,” said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell.
“The well-being and safety of our patrons, NASCAR stakeholders, employees and our community continues to be our number one priority. We appreciate your patience and understanding during these challenging times and we look forward to having everyone back in the near future to help us make history once again at Martinsville Speedway.”
The chatter in the industry has suggested that Martinsville could be the host of a makeup midweek NASCAR Cup event that the sanctioning body will utilize before the Playoffs to hopefully keep the 10-race run to the championship intact before the season finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in early November.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 17, 2020
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