Syracuse Indoor Racing Events Cancelled Due To Coronavirus Pandemic
Syracuse Indoor Races Cancelled By Order of NY State Governor Andrew Cuomo Due to Coronavirus Pandemic; Refunds to be Issued
SYRACUSE, NY March 12, 2020 . . . The 2020 Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels TQ Midget, Champ Kart and Slingshot season championships, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 13-14, 2020 inside the New York State Fairgrounds Expo Center in Syracuse, NY were cancelled as of Thursday late afternoon, March 12.
On Thursday early afternoon, New York Governor Mario Cuomo issued an executive order prohibiting public gatherings of over 500 people, this in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the state of emergency Cuomo had declared the previous day. The order will take effect Friday at 5 p.m.
Event ticket holders will receive refunds by contacting their point of purchase ticket outlets.
“We had full intentions of racing,” Len Sammons said. “The concrete barriers that form the guardrails for the track and the wheel fencing on top of the barriers were completed after two days of work by the Indoor Auto Racing Series staff by late Thursday.
“The final part of the process was to treat the arena floor with cola syrup mist. The syrup was delivered to the Expo Arena at 1:00 p.m.,” Sammons added.
“Regrettably, circumstances way beyond our control forced the cancellation of the race.”
Danny and Davey Sammons, Len Sammons’s two sons, and integral promoters of the Indoor Auto Racing Series, praised the track crew for their efforts. “We just got the barriers down and the fencing up, now we have to take it back down,” the Sammons brothers noted. “It’s not what any of us wanted.”
The New York State Fairgrounds events for the next 30 days have all been canceled. Though there are thus no present plans to reschedule this race, plans are underway for racing in 2021.
TQ Midget driver Andy Jankowiak, Champ Kart king Tyler Brown and Slingshot ace Scott Neary, who were leading in Series points heading into Syracuse, have been declared 2020 Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels BELFOR Concrete Series champions. It is the first championship for each.
Also adversely affected was the 34th Annual Syracuse Motorsports Expo & Trade Show which was to have been held Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15 in the Center Of Progress Building near the Expo Center. Jeremee Corcoran, show promoter, had to cancel his event, which would have been the 34th running of the March Motorsports Show.
Plans to broadcast the Indoor Auto Racing Series events live on the web by Asphaltvision.tv for the first time were also unable to see fruition. Asphaltvision.tv had partnered with the Indoor Auto Racing Series to expand coverage to a potentially worldwide audience.
Sources: Ernie Saxton Communications