NASCAR and IndyCar reversed course and pulled the plug on racing this weekend, with IndyCar also suspending its season through the end of April due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
NASCAR called off Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and next weekend's events at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Both events were already scheduled to be run without spectators.
IndyCar was scheduled to open its season Sunday on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg without fans. Formula One also canceled its season opening race in Australia, leaving the first full weekend of global motorsports without a major event.
Mark Miles, president and CEO of IndyCar parent company Penske Enterprises, said the about-face came as both IndyCar and NASCAR saw more and more events and attractions closing. He cited the cancellation mid-tournament of The Players Championship and the closure of theme parks as indicators public gatherings should not proceed.
"There's a public health risk any time people are getting together," Miles said.
"Really, there isn't a sporting event left that feels comfortable running even without fans. ... We just felt like it was the right thing to do to not allow the opportunity for the racers to go racing here."
"I think that would be a fantastic start because that would mean everything is moving in the right direction, but we don't even know that now. Hopefully we are racing by then."
"Our opening day is nearly 60 days away, which gives us time to continue gathering expert advice and evaluating the most up-to-date information available."
"This is so much bigger than sports right now and the health and safety of our fans, industry members and the overall public is top priority."
IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi issued a statement in which he called the decision "a bummer."
"But let's work through this together, be good (intelligent) humans, and come back to have some fun in a couple months."
NASCAR said the decision to postpone the next two weeks "is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, officials and everyone associated with our sport."
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