WOODHULL, N.Y. – New York’s Woodhull Raceway has been forced to cancel a planned open practice session that was scheduled for Saturday.
The announcement comes after Woodhull Raceway was advised by Empire State Development and Steuben County that the track would not be allowed to hold any events for the near future. If the track moved forward with plans to hold any kind of event, track officials would be cited by the county and New York State, which would carry a hefty financial penalty and open the track to further regulatory scrutiny.
This comes after the track has worked for weeks with Senator Tom O’Mara’s office, submitted plans that follow CDC guidelines to Empire State Development and several discussions and submitted plans to Steuben County Manager Jack Wheeler.
Wheeler also sits on the Southern Tier Control Room panel that advises New York State on businesses that are prepared for Phase 1 reopening following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Track owners Nikki and Terry Brewer say they cannot get an answer as to why their plans are being rejected and the raceway shuttered for events.
“This is devastating and heartbreaking for us, our drivers, our fans and our sponsors,” said Woodhull Raceway co-owner Nikki Brewer.
“We have done everything asked of us, have made phone calls, written emails, submitted online forms and have a plan that follows what is being asked of businesses that will be reopening this weekend. It is frustrating beyond any measure that though we have shown this, we cannot get any answer as to why or why not from New York State and Steuben County leadership.”