‘No Spectators’ Rule Forces Cancelation of Another Major Event at US 131 Motorsports Park
Recent executive orders issued by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have placed even more restrictions on sports and entertainment venues and, as a result, have forced Jason Peterson, General Manager of US 131 Motorsports Park, to cancel another major event at “Michigan’s Fastest Track.”
The annual Northern Nationals, which was to have been contested Aug. 7-8, fell victim to executive orders numbers 2020-110, 2020-114 and 2020-133 which mandate no spectators at professional sporting events in the state.
“We don’t have the luxury of falling back on lucrative television contracts and running our events without spectators like football, baseball, NASCAR and IndyCar,” Peterson said. “We rely on sponsors and fans and, really, we rely on our fans because without them, there would be no sponsors.
“So, this really hits hard at businesses like ours,” he said. “We had a big advance sale and we were looking forward to our first big spectator event of the year. It’s especially frustrating because we already had to cancel our Night of Thunder earlier. It’s all very disappointing.”
Peterson said he has reached out via email to those who purchased tickets in advance to explain the situation and their options. Those who did not receive an email are encouraged to access the track website at info@us131msp.com.
In addition to the Northern Nationals, Peterson said he has received notification from the American Motorcycle Racing Association (AMRA) that because of the new restrictions, it has cancelled plans to contest its national points at US 131 this weekend. However, there will still be a Harley race contested Saturday and Sunday. Drag Week has also confirmed that it will not include the track as part of its 2020 tour, either.
“I know these are difficult times, but we want to encourage everyone to stay positive and work together and we’ll get through it,” said US 131 Marketing Director Stephanie Peterson. “We’ve been here since 1962 and we plan on being here many more years to come.”
