NASCAR Race Postponed At Atlanta Motor Speedway

ATLANTA, GA — NASCAR released a statement Friday overturning its earlier decision to hold Sunday's big race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Initially, officials said that fans weren't allowed in the stands to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but now NASCAR is postponing the race altogether.

NASCAR has decided to postpone the race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend and Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend. We believe this decision is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, officials and everyone associated with our sport. We will continue to monitor this dynamic situation as we assess future race events.

The racing organization just announced Thursday that the event would be "restricted to competitors, crews, officials, and other necessary personnel to conduct the race." The same rules would have applied for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“We will work with public health officials as we determine future scheduling beyond these events," NASCAR said in a public statement.

Related:

• Coronavirus School Closings In Georgia: List
• GA Coronavirus Updates: What You Need To Know On Schools, Cases
• Interactive Map: Latest U.S. Coronavirus Cases
• Coronavirus United States: Updates For Weekend Of March 13

Globally, more than 91,000 people have been infected and more than 3,300 people have died from the COVID-19, Johns Hopkins reported Friday. Of that total, more than 80,000 confirmed cases are in China, while the entire United States has 1,701 confirmed cases as of Friday morning. Thirty-one deaths in the U.S. have been tied to the virus outbreak.

Read More:

• CVS Waiving Delivery Fees For Meds: Locations In Atlanta
• GA Coronavirus: New Cases Confirmed, Patients Quarantined At Park
• GA Coronavirus: Here's What Colleges Are Telling Students