NASCAR races at TMS ‘still scheduled’ despite Fort Worth’s state of emergency
Texas Motor Speedway isn’t ready to postpone its opening race weekend yet amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Track president Eddie Gossage said on Friday night that the NASCAR races from March 26-29 are still scheduled even after Forth Worth Mayor Betsy Price declared a state of emergency earlier Friday.
Price issued a mandatory cancellation of any events or gatherings with expected attendance of 250 people or more.
“We are aware of it,” Gossage said. “The city told us this order was for seven days. Our race is still scheduled.”
Gossage said the idea of running the race with no fans has “not been discussed.”
NASCAR will make the ultimate decision whether to hold the races.
Signs point toward the races not happening with just about every other event in DFW scheduled between now and mid-April being canceled or postponed.
NASCAR postponed its next two races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Texas is the following weekend with all three NASCAR series scheduled to run in a triple-header.
“We’re hoping that we can hold the races with fans in the stands and a packed infield like we always do,” Gossage told the Star-Telegram on Thursday. “But this is a tough place to be right now. You just have to be patient. We’re letting fans know as fast as we possibly know something, but we’re hoping it’s 75-degree days and the stands are packed.
“For us, it’s full-speed ahead to March 29. That’s the only thing we’re doing is working on opening the gates.”
NASCAR has been among the last sports leagues to postpone races. It planned on running without fans the next two weeks before changing course and postponing its next two races on Friday.
Just about every professional league has suspended play, including the NBA, NHL and PGA Tour.
Most college conferences have canceled the remaining seasons for spring sports, including the Big 12.
Hot rod show canceled
Although TMS is still holding out hope for its races later this month, this weekend’s Goodguys 10th LMC Truck Spring Lone Star Nationals at the track has been canceled due to the city’s state of emergency mandate.
“We truly appreciate and want to thank the thousands of automotive enthusiasts and business partners from all over the country who have traveled to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to attend, participate and support the show this weekend,” Goodguys Rod & Custom Association said in a statement. “It goes without saying that all of us at Goodguys are disappointed, but the health and safety of all of our event attendees cannot be ignored.
“Customers or business partners who have already purchased tickets, registered a vehicle or purchased a vendor or swap meet space for any of our cancelled events will be contacted in the next 7-10 business days with the option of applying their payment to a future Goodguys event or receiving a full refund.
“We appreciate your understanding and support and look forward to seeing you all back on the road sometime in the very near future.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 7:17 PM.
