FORT WORTH, Texas — NASCAR's new schedule won't include Texas Motor Speedway, as many motorsports fans in the state initially hoped.
Eddie Gossage, president of the Speedway, told WFAA via email that the decision centers around safety.
"There is reluctance for team members to travel to markets that require commercial airline travel and overnight stays," Gossage wrote. "They are concerned about getting crew members sick."
Many of the drivers will travel to races via private jets, but much of the crew travels commercially and stays in hotels. That, as of right now, is not a tenable arrangement.
The proximity to Charlotte, NC, is of particular importance because most NASCAR teams are based out of Charlotte. So tracks within driving distance will be of prime importance in the short term.
The NASCAR schedule is only for May.
June, and later dates, will come later.
Texas Motor Speedway will not be on the May schedule, and Gossage doesn't expect to be on the June schedule either.
But he does anticipate that the postponed March race at Speedway will be rescheduled. He says NASCAR will "completely revamp the schedule and we will run the postponed March race later in the summer."
There is some good news for motorsports fans in Texas, though. The IndyCar race is indeed set for June 6.
"We hope fans will be able to attend," Gossage said, "but each day we get closer, the less likely that appears."
