NASCAR officially postpones Martinsville race
NASCAR has officially postponed the May 8-9 race weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The decision, announced Friday, was not unexpected as Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a stay-at-home order for the residents of his state on March 30 that currently extends through June 10.
In a statement, NASCAR it still hoped to restart its 2020 season in late May.
"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."
In its own statement, Martinsville Speedway said it will continue to 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 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 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.” Fans who had previously purchased tickets should visit www.martinsvillespeedway.com for more information.
Possible plan ahead
The following proposed Cup Series schedule was shared with NASCAR teams earlier this month. It is TENTATIVE and should not be considered official.
These races are not immune from seeing more changes because different areas of the country are likely to recover at different times (with varied lifting of stay-at-home orders), which may require additional shuffling of dates.
May 24: Charlotte
May 31: Kansas
June 7: Texas
June 14: Sonoma
June 21: Chicagoland
June 27-28: Pocono (doubleheader)
July 1: Martinsville (Wednesday)
July 5: Indianapolis
July 8: Richmond (Wednesday)
July 12: Atlanta
July 15: Kentucky (Wednesday)
July 19: New Hampshire
July 26: Talladega
July 29: Homestead-Miami (Wednesday)
Aug. 2: Bristol
Aug. 8-9: Michigan (doubleheader)
Aug. 16: Watkins Glen
Aug. 22-23: Dover (doubleheader)
Aug. 29: Daytona
Sept. 6: Darlington
Sept. 12: Richmond
Sept. 19: Bristol
Sept. 27: Texas
Oct. 4: Talladega
Oct. 11: Charlotte Roval
Oct. 18: Kansas
Oct. 25: Las Vegas
Nov. 1: Martinsville
Nov. 8: Phoenix
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