A Supercars race has been all but ruled out for Newcastle this year, with focus now on securing the season opener in 2023.
Newcastle council CEO Jeremy Bath said given the "substantial lead time to coordinate the Newcastle 500, it's clear holding the event in May and June is off the table".
"City of Newcastle is continuing to work with key stakeholders including Supercars and Destination NSW on the best time to schedule the race," Mr Bath said.
With an already packed Supercars race calendar for 2022, including Adelaide set to host the season finale after a commitment from the new South Australian Labor government, a Newcastle race is now very unlikely to go ahead this year.
The Herald understands stakeholders are working towards Newcastle hosting the season opener in March 2023.
The city hasn't held a race since 2019, with the 2020 event cancelled due to COVID-19 and Newcastle given the season opener in March this year before that was postponed due to the region's Omicron outbreak.
There were plans to stage the race on May 20-22 this year but that was called off after Supercars advised it wanted to further consult with its board on a new date.
Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes has said a March race was generally more favoured by the business community than a pre-Christmas event.
A new date will need to be put to the elected council with the race contract varied again, which is likely to receive endorsement given Labor's support of the event.
But it will be the final instalment in the current race deal, with an option to extend the event for another five years. A review of the event including community consultation will take place before a decision is made.
Newcastle East resident Christine Everingham said she would like to see all businesses surveyed about the race as part of community consultation and for council to review past events without relying on attendance figures from Supercars, which were at odds with a council-commissioned cost-benefit report of the 2017 race.
In terms of the long term future of the event, Mr Hawes said he understood there were contractual obligations, but would like to see ongoing communication to see how things can be improved for businesses going forward.
He said the event was not universally popular across the business community.
"There are businesses that welcome the opportunity and those that struggle with it," he said.
"There's no doubt the event brings an economic boost to the region, by virtue of extra visitors.
"But the businesses and community that are in the zone don't necessarily all experience that.
"We're acutely aware that some of the local impacts on businesses and community are significant.
"If we can help mitigate those impacts, well we'd like to be part of that conversation."
