The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Presented by GEICO announced that it has rescheduled the rounds of its season-opening race — the OPTIMA Batteries SoCal Shootout Presented by K&N Filters from San Bernardino, California’s Glen Helen Raceway — due to weather conditions.

This weekend was originally scheduled to serve as a weekend doubleheader on Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15; however, weather forecast is for rain all this week, “presenting an array of potential challenges that forced the series to make a proactive announcement in the best interest of all parties,” the series said in its announcement.

“This was not a decision that we came to lightly. We know that our competitors have put in months of preparation for this weekend, and we know our passionate fanbase has been eagerly awaiting the start of the 2020 season,” said Ritchie Lewis, LOORRS director of race operations. “From the moment we became aware of the weather forecast and were subsequently forced to consider making such a difficult decision, we took every single element into consideration. Ultimately, the ability to host a successful event, both for our competitors and for our fans, was the driving force behind our decision.

“Given how persistent the precipitation is expected to be during the week of the race, it would present a significant challenge in getting the venue properly prepared for the weekend, and we believed it was in the best interest of the entire short course community to take a proactive approach to reschedule those rounds, with the intention of providing our competitors ample notice of the change. We look forward to kicking off the 2020 season in a matter of weeks in Chandler (Arizona).”

The series will reinstate these two days of racing later in the season, to keep the championship at 11 rounds. As a result, the annual visit to Wild West Motorsports Park in Sparks, Nevada, will add a round to become a two-day affair, with the addition of a night race for Round 5 on Friday, July 24, followed by Round 6 on Saturday, July 25. Additionally, the October visit to Glen Helen Raceway, the penultimate race of the 2020 season, will move from a single day event to a weekend doubleheader, with Round 9 on Saturday, October 3, followed by an afternoon showcase for Round 10 on Sunday, October 4.

Presale purchases of tickets for the SoCal Shootout, including registration fees, can be exchanged for another event on the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series schedule.

Broadcast coverage of the action from Wild Horse Pass will also be streamed LIVE on Lucas Oil Racing TV, kicking off a full season of live streaming coverage on the platform, beginning at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 25, and 11:30 a.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 26.