NASCAR cancels 2020 Champion’s Week

Last year's champ in Nashville

NASCAR officials announced Monday that the 2020 Cup Series Awards and Champion’s Week festivities will not occur as scheduled in Nashville in early December because of COVID-19 concerns.

In the statement, officials indicated that the year-end celebration would return to Nashville in 2021. The statement also said NASCAR’s three national series champions will be feted with postseason honors to be determined at a later date.

“With the uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus and the impact on the industry, this year’s NASCAR Champion’s Week and NASCAR Cup Series Awards originally scheduled to take place in Nashville will not occur," the statement reads. “The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champions will be celebrated at the end of the season with more details to come. We look forward to returning to Nashville in 2021."

NASCAR celebrated its season-ending awards banquet for the first time in the Tennessee capital last December. Kyle Busch savored the laurels of his second series title at the Music City Center, and the NASCAR industry embraced the new setting with burnouts on the famed Broadway strip and other music-themed activities.

NASCAR announced June 3 that the Cup Series would race at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021.