On Monday evening, NASCAR announced that it is postponing all races through early May, falling in line with other motorsport series around the world.
Previously only the races at Atlanta and Homestead had been delayed, but this new announcement adds the upcoming races at Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, and Dover to the list. The next race is now scheduled for May 9 at Martinsville Speedway.
The delay follows the guidance put out yesterday by the CDC recommending that all large gatherings be cancelled or postponed for the next eight weeks.
In a statement, NASCAR announced the additional postponements as well its intention to reschedule all of the affected races later in the year.
“The health and safety of our fans, industry and the communities in which we race is our most important priority,” read the statement, “so in accordance with recent CDC guidance, NASCAR is currently postponing all race events through May 3rd, with plans to return racing in Martinsville.
“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.”
If NASCAR does find a way to reschedule all seven postponed races, it is uncertain at this time where they would fit into the calendar or how the playoff system would be affected.
The series already has a tightly-packed schedule with a total of two available weekends from May 9 through the currently-scheduled end of the season on November 8.
After four completed races this season, 2014 Cup Champion Kevin Harvick currently holds a one-point lead over the 2018 champion Joey Logano.
