Supercars is racing the clock to deliver the 2022 Newcastle 500 at its desired new date in May.

Newcastle was hoped to make its grand return to the calendar as this year’s season-opener following a COVID-related two-year absence.

However, the re-emergence of the virus at the start of this year forced the event to be postponed to an unspecified date, with Sydney Motorsport Park instead brought forward from November to be the new Round 1 on March 4-6.

Speedcafe.com first reported that the May 21-22 weekend – currently slated for Winton Motor Raceway – had become the new target date for a Newcastle round.

However, a Newcastle Herald report has indicated Supercars yesterday requested more time to discuss the matter, with local council now not considering a date for the race until its March monthly meeting.

According to the report, the latest development “effectively rules out the race being held in May”.

When approached by Speedcafe.com, a Supercars spokesperson said that talks are ongoing with key stakeholders.

If Newcastle cannot run in May, it’s unclear when else it may slot back in – with the consideration also that it’s the front-runner to be the 2023 season-opener.

Following SMP, the 2022 Repco Supercars Championship will head to Symmons Plains for the Ned Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint in late March before leading the support card for the Formula 1 Heineken Australian Grand Prix on April 7-10.

Wanneroo Raceway is scheduled to host Round 4 on April 30 to May 1, with that event’s chances of happening boosted by the Western Australian government announcing it intends to open borders next week.

Beyond Perth, and Newcastle/Winton on May 21-22, the championship is mapped out as visiting Darwin, Townsville, Tailem Bend, Sandown, Pukekohe, Bathurst and the Gold Coast.

The Adelaide 500 will be added for December 1-4 if the Peter Malinauskas-led opposition party wins the South Australian state election next month.