Zach Yost

The 52nd annual Hillbilly 100, among the nation's longest-running Dirt Late Model events, has been cancelled for 2020 because of coronavirus restrictions, promoters announced this morning.

The $30,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event scheduled for Sept. 6 at Tyler County Speedway that annually highlights a huge three-day weekend of racing at the Middlebourne, W.Va., oval will return in 2021.

The Hometown Racing Association and event promoter Carl Short decided the difficulty of meeting social-distancing requirements among the mass of expected spectators and campers would "render a satisfying Hillbilly 100 experience impossible," according to the track press release.

“We are deeply saddened and extremely disappointed to make this difficult decision," said John Watson of the Hometown Racing Association, which operates the track. "In the end, we felt as a team it was in the best interest to the community, our speedway and the Hillbilly 100 event experience at Tyler County Speedway to not be forced to make unpopular modifications to allow the event to continue in a Covid-19 climate.”

The Hillbilly 100, which originated at Pennsboro (W.Va.) Speedway in 1967 and has been held at Tyler County on 16 occasions, won’t be run for the first time since 2011, when it was rained out. Tickets will be refunded or rolled toward the 2021 event. Call the track at (304) 771-5661.

The cancellation shrinks the Lucas Oil tour’s Labor Day weekend to two races with $12,000-to-win events at Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky., on Sept. 4 and Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park on Sept. 5.