The Indy 500 has been postponed to August. Also: another golf major is reportedly set for a postponement. The NFL and WNBA drafts will go on as scheduled. MLB owners and players are still hoping for a June return.
Indy 500 postponed
The Indianapolis 500 has been postponed to August 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic, marking the first time that it has not taken place in the month of May. The race had been scheduled for May 24.
The Indy 500 is typically the culmination of a full month of events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including qualifying and a separate Grand Prix race. The Grand Prix will move from May 9 to July 4, preceding a NASCAR Xfinity race at the track the same day.
The Indy 500 practice and qualifying events have been rescheduled for August 12-16.
With the Indianapolis events rescheduled, there are no IndyCar races scheduled until June 6 at Texas. To accommodate the changes, IndyCar has rescheduled its Mid-Ohio race from August 16 to August 9 and its Gateway Motorsports Park race from August 22 to August 30. [IndyCar 3.26]
NYP: US Open golf to be postponed
The US Open golf tournament will be postponed, the New York Post reported Thursday, making it the third of four golf majors to be pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. A source told the Post that the tournament could be held in early September. [NYP 3.26]
NFL, WNBA drafts on as scheduled; NHL Draft ppd
The NFL announced Thursday that it will continue to hold its upcoming draft on the originally scheduled dates of April 23-25. The league had previously announced that the draft would be held as scheduled, but faced some opposition from general managers.
Also staying put is the WNBA Draft, which will remain on its April 17 date. The event will take place remotely, with draftees appearing via videoconference. The only change is a move up from ESPN2 at 8 PM ET to ESPN at 7 PM.
In related news, the NHL has postponed its draft, which was scheduled for June 26-27. It has also postponed its June 18 awards show. If the NHL season resumes, games would almost certainly be played on those dates. [NFL 3.26, WNBA 3.26, NHL 3.25]
MLB still looking at June return
Major League Baseball players and owners have “an eye on returning to training camps in mid-May and starting games as early as June,” ESPN reported Thursday. The report came one day after commissioner Rob Manfred said on ESPN’s SportsCenter that his “optimistic outlook” is that MLB will begin “gearing back up” in May.
In the same SportsCenter interview, Manfred said that a 162-game regular season was unlikely. MLB owners and players have reportedly agreed to extend the regular season into October and postseason into November in a bid to hold as many games as possible.
NBA Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has similarly expressed hope that his league will return in some form by mid-May. [ESPN.com 3.25 a, b, 3.26]
