After having conducted talks with Circuit Ricardo Tormo and the local government, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has made the announcement today that they will postpone this year’s season opening round at Valencia due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Valencia NASCAR Fest, initially scheduled for 25-26 April, has been rescheduled to 31 October and 1 November, thus making Valencia the final round of the 2020 season. All other rounds are currently scheduled to continue as planned and will move up one place ahead in the schedule, meaning that the American Speedfest 8 at Brands Hatch – scheduled for 6-7 June – will be the new season opening round of the 2020 season.
The postponement continued upon the trend of high-profile motorsport events that have been affected as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. MotoGP, Formula E, Superbike World Championship, and Super Formula have all postponed one or more of their planned rounds this year, with Formula One also having announced that the Bahrain GP will be run behind closed doors and the Australian GP is currently at the risk of cancellation following McLaren’s withdrawal earlier today.
NASCAR themselves will hold an announcement at 1 PM EST today to announce its plan for near-term race events. This followed upon the announcement made by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez that has ordered the cancellation of all mass gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic, including the upcoming Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami.