In the last week, the fear of the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted all major sports including the cancellation of all spring collegiate athletics, MLB spring training, and the postponements of games in both MLS and the NBA. After previously announcing that races would be held without fans in attendance at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway, NASCAR announced today that both races at Atlanta and Homestead-Miami would be postponed meaning there will be a minimal of two weeks of non-racing activities among all series.
Currently, NASCAR’s plan is to reschedule both races for Atlanta and Homestead-Miami to dates later in the year. Currently there are open dates for April 12th, July 26th, and August 2nd before the Cup Series playoffs begin which would be potentially feasible make-up dates. The problem with those solutions is that nobody can guarantee that no further postponements/cancellations will take place. Both state and federal authorities have pushed for extensive precautions to be made for all public gatherings which would include any NASCAR sanctioned event. The next 1-2 weeks of progress against the coronavirus will decide if NASCAR and other major sports will be able to resume activities in the near future.
As a race fan and NASCAR bettor, I am absolutely bummed that we will not have any racing activities to cover. Obviously there are more important priorities than sports and I am encouraged by the swift action by so many people to contain the threat of continued outbreaks. With that being said, we will take a few weeks off to relax and I hope everyone stays safe. If everything goes according to plan, we may not have another open week for the remainder of the season and we will be ready when the racing resumes!