COVID-19 UPDATES, March 27: Schedule and Fee Deadline Changes
As you perhaps heard Chief Perp Jay Lamm announce on our new (and necessary) weekly Lemons Thursday Therapy, we have some schedule changes to announce because of the assorted COVID-19 shutdowns. We don’t like having to change and remove things from the calendar, but in this case, we’ve waited as long as we can for any signs of change and just don’t see it happening over the next month. Thanks for your patience as we’ve made these decisions.
Help Out Where You Can (By Staying Home)
We’ll get to the schedule changes in a minute, but I think we all know Lemons changes are but a (very) small byproduct of a much larger problem. A lot of Lemons racers and their families work as health providers and first responders, so keep them in your thoughts. The best things that non-essential personnel—this is probably most of us, to be honest—can do right now is stay home to limit the spread of COVID-19. However, if you have N95 masks, rubber gloves, or even welding face shields, see if they may be of use to your local hospital, doctor’s office, EMT company, or fire station.
24-Hour Race at Carolina Motorsports Park Rescheduled
The Southern Discomfort, Unwisely Presented by Yokohama 24-hour race at CMP originally scheduled for April 25-26 has been rescheduled for June 6-7, 2020. If you’re currently registered for the original April dates and you want to run the race in June, you don’t need to do anything. You’ll simply remain registered for the race based on your current registration. Anyone who makes it out to this rescheduled race will take home the IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL patches and stickers, too. Thanks for sticking it out; we know Lemons is a strong community.
PittRace Canceled
Unfortunately, we don’t feel the COVID situation will be sufficiently remedied in time for The Pitt Maneuver on April 18-19 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. As such, we regret that we have to cancel the PittRace event. Your team captain will be receiving an email with further instructions on how to request either a transfer of your entry to a new race or a refund of your entry fee. Transferring fees will get you the IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL patches and stickers.
Kansas Race Canceled for 2020
The NHRA recently reassembled their schedule for the rest of 2020 and the flow of travel made Heartland Park on our scheduled weekend, August 22-23, work for them. The NHRA has a bit more pull than we do, so we’ve canceled Heartland Parked to let the loud, straight-drivin’ people have the facility. We’re working on a 2021 date with the track and hope we can go back next summer.
Willow Springs, NOLA, and Autobahn Canceled for 2020
We earlier announced indefinite postponement of the Yokohama Big Willow Weekend (at Willow Springs), Cain’t Get Bayou (at NOLA), and Doing Time in Joliet (at Autobahn). We tried to find dates that fit into the rest of our schedule and just couldn’t find a sensible way to do it. We know sense has little place in Lemons, but in this case, we had to cancel all three races. We do have tentative dates plotted for 2021 at these tracks, so we’ll update you on those once we’ve got the dates in ink.
Entry Deadlines Moved Back
Knowing what we know about everybody’s assorted situations, we’ve relaxed entry deadlines on all races. That means no more sardonic emails from HQ at six weeks. Instead, entry fees will be due just two weeks before the event start. We know your various situations are fluid and unpredictable, so we want to give you the chance to wait longer and see before signing up.
Long Haul Patches and Stickers
Again, anyone who transfers fees or hangs in for the rescheduled Carolina Motorsports Park race in June will get the IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL patches and stickers. We know Lemons is full of nonsense in all manners, but we know it’s also full of some resilient people. Keep working hard to endure, wash your hands, and keep looking out for each other through these trying times.
