NASCAR officially postpones races at Texas Motor Speedway. Possible makeup dates?
NASCAR has postponed its series of races that were to be held at Texas Motor Speedway later this month, the organization announced Monday.
The racing body said races over the next five weeks, through May 3, have been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic. A new date for TMS is not known at this time.
“We appreciate the patience of our fans and we look forward to returning to the racetrack,” NASCAR said in a statement. “We intend to hold all 36 races this season, with future rescheduling soon to be determined.”
This had been expected amid the public health crisis, with just about every event being canceled or postponed in the coming weeks, but NASCAR and TMS were among the last to officially postpone it.
The decision finally came on a day when President Donald Trump asked people to limit gatherings to no more than 10 people for the next 15 days to slow the spread of coronavirus.
TMS president Eddie Gossage had no issue with NASCAR waiting as long as it did to announce the postponement. He told NASCAR that TMS needed a decision by Wednesday at the latest so fans could make arrangements accordingly.
“It’s the right call,” Gossage said. “But I don’t think you can criticize NASCAR for the timing on this decision. I think your first obligation is to try to run the race as scheduled. Is it inconvenient? Sure, but it’s going to be inconvenient.”
Gossage has not been given any indication on a possible makeup date, but said “everything is on the table.”
That includes a possible mid-week makeup date, or even a double-header of some sort. Gossage also wouldn’t rule out NASCAR conducting races without fans.
“I have no doubt they’re going to run all 36 races,” Gossage said. “We’ll find the best slots for everybody. I feel good about that. But as far as date, everything is on the table.”
NASCAR had been scheduled to run all three of its series at Texas from March 26-29, highlighted by the Cup race — the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 — on March 29.
Fans who purchased tickets may use the tickets for the rescheduled race, receive an event credit for the full amount plus an additional 20% or choose to receive a full refund on their purchase price.
The event credit can be used for a NASCAR-sanctioned race at any Speedway Motorsports owned track in 2020 or 2021, subject to availability.
Along with TMS, SMI tracks include Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kentucky Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Sonoma Raceway.
This is the first Texas race to be postponed since the IndyCar weekend in the 2016 summer. Rain caused a number of delays for the Firestone 600. The race started on June 12, but had to be suspended and completed on August 27.
The only other races postponed weeks later in TMS history is the 2001 fall date with IndyCar and the NASCAR truck series, which was delayed three weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
In total, TMS has postponed six races in its history, but most have been rain-related and completed the following day.
TMS has had only one race in its history canceled, the 2001 CART race scheduled for April 29 over speed and safety concerns.
TMS’ fall race weekend is scheduled for Oct. 23-25.
Lonestar Nationals postponed
Along with TMS, another racing staple in DFW has been postponed.
The drag car races at Texas Motorplex in Ennis scheduled for March 27-29 have been pushed back. A new date for the Lonestar Nationals is to be determined.
“We will continue to monitor and to follow Federal, State and County suggested health and safety requirements in this ever-changing situation,” the track said in a news release.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 5:40 PM.
