The O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, scheduled for March 29 at Texas Motor Speedway, along with the entire NASCAR schedule through May 3, has been postponed due to the spread of coronavirus.
In a news release Monday, NASCAR said, “the health and safety of our fans, industry and the communities in which we race is our most important priority, so in accordance with recent CDC guidance, NASCAR is currently postponing all race events through May 3.
The CDC recommended Sunday that people gather in groups no larger than 50; on Monday, President Trump dropped that number to 10.
That means the O'Reilly race scheduled for March 29 in Fort Worth is postponed; a new date for the reace has not been determined, however NASCAR plans to return to the track in Martinsville on May 9.
"We appreciate the patience of our fans and we look forward to returning to the race track. We intend to hold all 36 races this season, with future rescheduling soon to be determined as we continue to monitor this situation closely with public health officials and medical experts. What is important now transcends the world of sports and our focus is on everyone’s safety and well-being as we navigate this challenging time together.”
Texas Motor Speedway President and General Manager Eddie Gossage said considering the circumstances, NASCAR had no choice but to postpone the race.
“As soon as we have information on the rescheduled date, we will share it with our fans but we encourage them to hold onto their tickets and plan to join us for the rescheduled O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. It’s always the right time to do the right thing and we’re going to do right by our fans,” Gossage said.
TMS said ticketholders on file may use their March 27-29, 2020 tickets for the postponed event, choose to receive an event credit for the full amount paid plus an additional 20% or choose to receive a full refund of their purchase price.
"The event credit can be applied toward any admissions, including, but not limited to, grandstand seating, infield tickets, camping, fan hospitality and pit passes. The 120% event credit can be used during the remaining 2020 or 2021 seasons for a NASCAR-sanctioned event at any Speedway Motorsports owned track, subject to availability," officials said.
The schedule changes affected recent races in Atlanta and upcoming races in Miami, Fort Worth, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega and Dover.
