NASCAR postpones races through May 3 due to coronavirus

“The health and safety of our fans, industry and the communities in which we race is our most important priority, so in accordance with recent CDC guidance, NASCAR is currently postponing all race events through May 3rd, with plans to return racing in Martinsville,” NASCAR said in a statement released Monday evening.

“We appreciate the patience of our fans and we look forward to returning to the race track. We intend to hold all 36 races this season, with future rescheduling soon to be determined as we continue to monitor this situation closely with public health officials and medical experts.

“What is important now transcends the world of sports and our focus is on everyone’s safety and well-being as we navigate this challenging time together.”

On Friday, NASCAR had announced the postponement of the race weekends at Atlanta Motor Speedway at Homestead-Miami Speedway due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The expanded postponement now covers race weekends at Texas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Dover International Speedway.

NASCAR’s move comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended postponing or canceling events for the next eight weeks consisting of 50 or more people. On Monday, the White House released new coronavirus guidelines which included avoiding "social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.”

"Considering the circumstances that NASCAR had no choice but to postpone the race, we obviously support that because public safety comes first," said Eddie Gossage, Texas Motor Speedway President and General Manager. "As soon as we have information on the rescheduled date, we will share it with our fans but we encourage them to hold onto their tickets and plan to join us for the rescheduled O'Reilly Auto Parts 500. It's always the right time to do the right thing and we're going to do right by our fans."