In wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, also known as the coronavirus, NASCAR has elected to hold its race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 13-15) and Homestead Miami Speedway (March 20-22) without fans in attendance, per an announcement on Thursday, March 12.
Despite the changes, NASCAR plans to continue to hold all six events at the two currently affected tracks.
“These events will be restricted to competitors, crews, and officials and other necessary personnel to conduct the race,” a NASCAR release stated. “We will work with public health officials as we determine future scheduling beyond these events.”
NASCAR becomes the latest motorsports sanctioning body to put restrictions on its events, joining IndyCar, F1, IMSA and the NHRA.
A time table the for the resumption of normal procedures in unclear. Plans for future races, including those at Texas Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway were unannounced.
Never at a loss for words, Zach Gillispie is a young, talented marketing professional from North Carolina who talks and writes on the side about his first love: racing! Since joining Frontstretch in 2018, Zach has served in numerous roles where he currently pens the NASCAR 101 column, a weekly piece delving into the basic nuts and bolts of the sport. Additionally, his unabashedly bold takes meshed with that trademarked dry wit of his have made Zach a fan favorite on the weekly Friday Faceoff panel. In his free time, he can be found in the great outdoors, actively involved in his church, cheering on his beloved Atlanta Braves or ruthlessly pestering his colleagues with completely useless statistics about Delma Cowart.