Coronavirus: Hundreds Of Layoffs, Furloughs At NASCAR Tracks

CHARLOTTE, NC — Citing financial impacts from the novel coronavirus pandemic, nearly 200 workers at NASCAR tracks around the country have been laid off and 100 more furloughed, Speedway Motorsports announced Wednesday morning, according to reports.

Speedway Motorsports owns Charlotte Motor Speedway, along with NASCAR tracks in Atlanta, Georgia; Bristol, Tennessee; Sparta, Kentucky; Las Vegas, Nevada; Loudon, New Hampshire; Sonoma, California; and Fort Worth, Texas.

“The extraordinary circumstances presented by this pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of the economy have had a significant impact on our business,” Speedway Motorsports said in a statement, according to Yahoo Sports. “Since the beginning of the shutdown four weeks ago, we have kept our entire team on full pay while our properties remained dormant. In that time, it has become clear that we must be a more nimble, more efficient organization. As such, we have made the difficult decision to restructure our business and eliminate many duplicate positions."

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The job cuts mean that 180 positions will be eliminated at speedways and subsidiaries, while 100 additional workers will be furloughed, the company said.

As of Wednesday morning, there were at least 5,123 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in North Carolina, and 117 related deaths, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

NASCAR has postponed all races through early May and has indicated it intends to complete the full 36-race schedule by the end of the year. The Coca-Cola 600 is currently scheduled for May 24 in Charlotte.

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