The following is an industry press release …
Historic motorcycle road race to return in March 2021
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The 79th DAYTONA 200 presented by Comoto, America’s most historic motorcycle road race, held at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, has officially been canceled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association and operated by the American Sportbike Racing Association, the DAYTONA 200 presented by Comoto was postponed from its original date of March 14 and rescheduled to be a part of Fall Cycle Scene on Saturday, Oct. 17.
In addition, the Midway, located between the venue and International Speedway Blvd., as well as Harley-Davidson Thunder Alley and all of its activities during Fall Cycle Scene, will not be in operation.
“The DAYTONA 200 presented by Comoto is a very important part of Daytona International Speedway and the fabric of our great community,” said track president Chip Wile. “We are all faced with difficult decisions this year, and this was definitely one of them. We will miss not having the iconic motorcycle race and fans in our region but look forward to welcoming the event back as part of Bike Week 2021.”
The 2021 DAYTONA 200 presented by Comoto is scheduled to return on Saturday, March 13, 2021, during Bike Week At DAYTONA (March 5-14). The 57-lap, 200-mile event will showcase 600cc sport bikes on the Speedway’s 3.51-mile DAYTONA Road Course. Kyle Wyman is the event’s latest winner, capturing the checkered flag in March of 2019.
The roots of the DAYTONA 200 presented by Comoto go back to the sands of Daytona Beach where they began racing on a 4.2-mile shoreline course in 1937 before moving the event to Daytona International Speedway in 1961 and incorporating the high banks of the “World Center of Racing.” This marks the second time in history that the DAYTONA 200 presented by Comoto was not held. The other was from 1942-46 due to World War II.
Customers who purchased tickets to the 2020 DAYTONA 200 presented by Comoto will be offered a 120% credit to any American Flat Track (AFT) Events race held through October 2021 or a full refund. Please contact tickets@americanflattrack.com for more information.
The status of the DAYTONA TT, the season-opening race for the AFT season that was also postponed in March, will be addressed by AFT officials in the near future. The Championship Cup Series (CCS), which traditionally conducts a motorcycle road-racing program at DAYTONA each October, is expected to announce its plans as well.
Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest speedway news throughout the season. Fans can also log onto daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.