NASCAR officially postpones Martinsville race

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."

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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