Miami-Dade Mayor Postpones NASCAR Weekend at Homestead-Miami

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez issued a statement on Thursday morning that effectively postpones next weekend’s NASCAR event at Homestead-Miami Speedway with Miami-Dade County under a state of emergency due to COVID-19 concerns.

NASCAR has the option of running the event without fans in attendance. The sanctioning body released a statement that says it will announce its plans for near-term event scheduling at 1 p.m. ET.

The mayor’s statement reads:

“Although we do not have community spread at this time, we want to take the preemptive steps to keep it that way. Therefore, I have decided to suspend the operation of the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair, the Miami Open tennis tournament, the MIA 5K run, and all major events at the American Airlines Arena. The March 22 NASCAR race at the Homestead Miami Speedway is postponed at this time. NASCAR officials will decide whether or not to hold the race without fans.

“As we move forward together during this time, we will continue to monitor what the World Health Organization has determined is a global pandemic. We will constantly evaluate planned mass gatherings as the situation evolves.

“I will be making future policy decisions regarding indoor events planned for more than 250 people based on federal and state health officials’ guidance. In addition, I am recommending that smaller gatherings, if they’re not essential, also be reconsidered.”

This is the first year that Homestead has not served as the championship race since the 2002 season. The season finale has since moved to Phoenix Raceway for the 2020 season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has entered the Xfinity Series race scheduled for that Saturday.

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