NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has officially announced that this year’s NASCAR GP UK, the 2020 edition of American SpeedFest at Brands Hatch, has been cancelled. The series will be returning to Brands Hatch in 2021.
Yesterday, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced that this year’s NASCAR GP UK, the American SpeedFest 8 at Brands Hatch, has sadly been cancelled. The announcement came a month after the series placed a “TBC” status for Brands Hatch in the provisional revised calendar for 2020 and thus the 2020 season will consist of 10 races in 5 rounds as opposed to the originally planned 13 races in 7 rounds.
“Brands Hatch’s annual NASCAR-headlined extravaganza, American SpeedFest, has sadly been cancelled for 2020. MSV and EuroNASCAR both hoped to be able to reschedule the event later this season, however the potential for further disruption to international travel due to COVID-19, coupled with a shortage of date options at the Kent circuit, has led to the mutual decision to cancel the 2020 edition entirely,” stated the series in their official announcement.
“Both parties remain fully committed to Brands Hatch’s showpiece family event, which will return in summer 2021 with another super-sized helping of Stateside-inspired fun. Further details, including the date of the 2021 event, will be announced in due course.”
“All ticket-holders for this year’s event will be written to very soon with details on how to manage their booking online, including information on how to claim a full refund or to carry their booking across to 2021.”
The cancellation meant that Brands Hatch will not be featured in the season calendar for the first time in the NASCAR era of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Brands Hatch was first introduced to the series calendar in 2011 and prior to this year, the legendary track at West Kingsdown has been present in the calendar ever since.
The 2013 race at Brands Hatch saw the introduction of American SpeedFest as the first race week where EuroNASCAR plays in the center stage of the weekend’s events. The popularity of American SpeedFest makes Brands Hatch one of, if not the biggest round in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series calendar today.
“We’re obviously very disappointed that we won’t be hosting the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2020. It’s an event that we all love putting on, but it simply wasn’t possible for us to find a way to make a replacement date work this year. SpeedFest will return stronger than ever though, and we’re all looking forward to welcoming back race fans, car owners, and the entire EuroNASCAR team as soon as possible. This only makes us more determined to work hard and deliver a show stopping experience in 2021,” said David Willey, Events Manager of MotorSport Vision (MSV) Motorsport to euronascar.com.
“This is a very exceptional situation and we have to act in the interest of all the parties involved, from teams and drivers to partners and sponsors. Our amazing fans are a huge part of the American SpeedFest and we will work together with MSV Motorsport to offer them the best ever event in 2021 and beyond,” said Euro Series’ President, CEO, and Founder Jerome Galpin to euronascar.com.
Disclaimer: Unless noted, all photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard.