Photo: Stephen A. Arce/ASP, Inc.

NASCAR Postpones Martinsville Night Race Weekend

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer

NASCAR announced Friday that it won’t go to Martinsville Speedway on May 8-9 as itsdue to the COVID-19 health crisis and the state of Virginia’s stay at home regulations that go through June 10th postponing the race weekend.

“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,” in a statement issued by NASCAR. “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.”

Martinsville Speedway Clay Campbell commented that they’ll be working closely with NASCAR on rescheduling the race weekend as well as staying in touch with local and federal health officials.

“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 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.”

The postponement of both the Whelen Modified Series race and the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500, which is slated to be the track’s first-ever night race, meant the current return is expected to be at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the All-Star Race May 16 and Coca-Cola 600 May 24.

NASCAR have yet to confirm if they’ll go run at Charlotte as Friday’s announcement is the first confirmation of a postponement due to the crisis since March 16 when the sport initially called off races through May 3rd.

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From the Pacific Northwest, Luis is a University of Idaho graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcasting and Digital Media and a three-time National Motorsports Press Association award winner in photography. Ever since watching the 2003 Daytona 500, being involved in auto racing is all he's ever dreamed of doing. Over the years, Luis has focused on writing, video and photography with ambitions of having his work recognized.