NASCAR weekly: Employee salaries cut, Martinsville race may be cancelled
The USA is the new centre of the coronavirus pandemic – NASCAR had to react and cut salaries – In addition, the restart of the championship in Martinsville is on the verge
Due to the ongoing global coronavirus crisis, there is currently no racing in the USA. The country has become the new epicenter of the pandemic as case numbers are growing rapidly. NASCAR will probably have to wait longer than planned for the restart of the championship. The race in Martinsville is already on the brink. The organisation also had to react economically by cutting staff salaries.
The race in Martinsville was planned for May 9th, but the crisis seems to be far from over by then. The races in Atlanta, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega and Dover have already been postponed, there are no new dates scheduled yet. NASCAR remains committed to hosting all races. To this end, the series is considering holding races during the week and more double headers like in Pocono.
The Corona crisis also has an influence on the introduction of the “Next Gen” car, which was meant to be introduced in 2021. However, testing has also come to a standstill, which is why NASCAR has postponed the introduction of the new model until 2022 – similar to Formula 1.
To keep racing alive NASCAR has created a simracing championship, in which many big names of the NASCAR world participate. Besides the current drivers, legends such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bobby Labonte are also involved. The virtual race in Texas was recently won by Timmy Hill.
