Coronavirus: NASCAR officially postpones May 9 Martinsville race
NASCAR’s season will not resume at Martinsville.
The sanctioning body announced Friday that the May 9 race would be postponed. It comes after Virginia’s stay-at-home order had been extended through June 10 on March 30 and Gov. Ralph Northam’s Wednesday announcement that the state’s ban on non-essential businesses and gatherings of over 10 people would go through at least May 8.
“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.”
Per earlier reports by The Athletic, the Cup Series season could begin on May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Coca-Cola 600 is a logical resumption spot — if it’s safe and feasible — given that all Cup Series teams are located in the Charlotte area.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis really wants a NASCAR race to be run in his state sometime soon and said he had talked to NASCAR’s Lesa France Kennedy about the idea. DeSantis has granted sports and the WWE an exception to his ban on non-essential businesses in the state. The WWE’s financial contributions to Florida politics aside, DeSantis has said that Americans need new “content” while they’re properly social distancing.
If NASCAR is going to complete all 36 Cup Series races it’s going to have to run doubleheaders and even run some races on weeknights. The season finale at Phoenix Raceway is set for Nov. 8.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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