The NASCAR GP Belgium at Zolder is scheduled to be heading for a return to a normal race weekend format, as revealed by the schedule that the series revealed this Monday.
Earlier this week on 13 July, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announces the planned schedule for the 2020 NASCAR GP Belgium at Circuit Zolder. This year’s edition will be the first edition where Euro Series will not race at the classic Belgian track as the scheduled season finale race, having initially scheduled to be the sixth round of the season before being moved to the second round after the season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The schedule reveals that Euro Series will be planning for a return to a normal schedule format after Vallelunga’s schedule was revealed to be having a condensed format as a precaution that the series must take to follow the COVID-19 prevention guidelines that are in place.
Unlike Vallelunga’s schedule where all on-track activities for each class will be limited to a single day, Zolder plans for a return to the usual race format of having both classes having their on-track activity held across the weekend – The Practice sessions held on Friday, Qualifying and the first Race of each class being held on Saturday, and the second Race on Sunday.
Despite this, there are still some elements that the series have yet to confirm just yet. As of the writing of this article, both the annual Car Parade held in the nearby Heusden-Zolder city center and the pre-race Grid Walk and Autograph sessions are listed as “To Be Confirmed” in the schedule.
Both events are likely going to be pending confirmation on whether the series will be receiving a permit to both allow fans spectate the event from the local government or not.
In addition, the series has also yet to determine whether they will be able to host a pre-race briefing on the track site itself as opposed of having to do it online via Discord. Vallelunga’s schedule also listed the possibility of doing an on-track pre-race briefing, but Zolder have listed a possible timeframe for pre-race briefings in their schedule while Vallelunga’s schedule didn’t list one such timeframe yet.
With Zolder’s schedule revealing a plan for a return to normal, it’s now possible that the next three (or four) rounds of 2020 will be following the normal race weekend format as opposed to Vallelunga’s condensed format. However, things can still change drastically in the days leading up to Zolder and while we’re hoping that we will be able to have fans spectate the Euro Series races live on-track this year, ultimately the safety of everyone involved in the sport – officials, drivers, team members, track marshals, and fans – will be the main priority for this year’s running of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
Disclaimer: Unless noted, all photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard.