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What You Need To Know Today: Why NASCAR Shops Are Temporarily Closing

March 28, 2020
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North Carolina “stay at home” order affects most NASCAR teams

  • Non-essential businesses in the state of North Carolina have been ordered to close by Monday at 5PM by Governor Roy Cooper in response to the COVID-19 pandemic 
  • The announcement was made Friday afternoon and will last 30 days
  • The “stay at home” order will impact many NASCAR teams, as virtually all Cup Series organizations operate in the state of North Carolina
  • A few race teams — such as Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing — had already been impacted by similar declarations in individual counties 
  • The order comes after NASCAR cancelled races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway earlier this month, followed by a decision to postpone the rest of the season until at least May 3
  • NASCAR has said they plan on eventually running the entire 36-race schedule; no revised schedule has been announced

Additional info: Story from RACER.com … Full official order … NASCAR announcement on postponements

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Entry list for NASCAR iRacing at Texas Motor Speedway

  • While on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR drivers are taking to the virtual world of racing in order to satisfy their need for speed
  • After last weekend’s virtual race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series heads to the virtual Texas Motor Speedway for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 for the second consecutive week
  • The race will begin this Sunday at 1PM ET and will be broadcast on FOX, FS1, and the FOX Sports App
  • 31 drivers are currently locked in and four will have to earn their spots in a qualifying race
  • The entry list includes last week’s winner Denny Hamlin, 15-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, along with multiple other current and former Cup Series drivers
  • The race will be 125 laps, 187.5 miles 

https://twitter.com/TXMotorSpeedway/status/1242865190867255298

Additional Info: Entry lists … Race info from Tennessean.com … Live stream for the qualifier

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Jimmie Johnson to compete in virtual IndyCar race

  • While on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IndyCar Series is hosting a six-race IndyCar iRacing Challenge, similar to NASCAR’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
  • While the field will be comprised of mostly full-time IndyCar Series regulars, one name stands out on the current entry list: Jimmie Johnson
  • The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion announced on Friday his intention to run Saturday’s American Red Cross Grand Prix at the virtual Watkins Glen International, a track voted on by the fans to host the kickoff race for the challenge
  • Johnson is set to retire at the end of this NASCAR season and has made public his intentions to try out other racing series, including IndyCar 
  • The 44-year-old driver was supposed to participate in an IndyCar test in April at Barber Motorsports Park, but the test has since been cancelled
  • The driver of the No. 48 competed in last week’s eNASCAR iRacing event, finishing 31st out of 35 cars 
  • The race will stream live on IndyCar.com at 4PM ET

Additional info: Story from APNews.com’s Jenna Fryer … About INDYCAR iRacing Challenge … Story from FoxNews.com’s Gary Gastelu

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More motorsports news … 

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