DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR officials have announced that the upcoming events at Martinsville Speedway on May 8-9 have been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

The events at Martinsville Speedway were put into question when Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a stay-at-home order on March 30 that ran through June 10. The races at Martsinville were supposed to be NASCAR’s first since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event scheduled for that weekend at Martinsville Speedway has also been postponed.

In a statement, NASCAR officials said they are investigating potentially returning to competition without fans in attendance at some point in May. No additional details were released.

“NASCAR is postponing the scheduled events on May 8-9 at Martinsville Speedway,” NASCAR officials said in the statement. “Our intention remains to run all 36 races, with a potential return to racing without fans in attendance in May at a date and location to be determined. The health and safety of our competitors, employees, fans, and the communities in which we run continues to be our top priority. We will continue to consult with health experts and local, state and federal officials as we assess future scheduling options.”

The race at Martinsville Speedway is the eighth NASCAR Cup Series event to be postponed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The next event on the NASCAR schedule is the NASCAR All-Star Race, which is scheduled for May 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.