The round will go ahead on the weekend of July 18-19, but the extension of the state of emergency in Victoria due to a spike in coronavirus cases in metropolitan areas has put a line through any crowds attending the North East circuit.

Ford's 2019 championship winner Scott McLaughlin took out both Winton series races last year when more than 24,000 fans flocked to the track.

Instead, the SuperSprint events will again be broadcast nationally on pay television and highlights broadcast on free-to-air television with a focus on promoting the North-East as a holiday and motorsport destination for visitors following the pandemic.

"Victoria is the home of motorsports in Australia and it is fantastic that Supercars will be heading back to Winton in just a few weeks," Victoria's Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Martin Pakula said.

"Tourism is an important part of the high country and the national broadcast package in place will help to keep it front of mind for travellers as they begin to make holiday plans for the rest of the year."

IN OTHER NEWS

Winton is hosting the second round of the revised Supercars season with the first round to be held at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 27-28.

Benalla Auto Club chief executive Chris Lewis-Williams confirmed crowds wouldn't be coming to Winton.

"We are excited to welcome Supercars back to Winton and to showcase our region to a national audience," he said.

The government's jobs, precincts and regions department has advised Supercars on the development of its Winton event plan to ensure it is compatible with the government's return to play guidance.

The plan includes risk mitigation strategies such as symptom monitoring and temperature checking, testing and outbreak management, venue entry and exit protocols, segregation of areas for teams and staff, detailed record keeping and contact tracing, hygiene and cleaning protocols, minimum accommodation standards and limiting of attendees to essential personnel.

It also stipulates less than 500 people for the major event.

Winton has been a feature on the Supercars calendar since 1985 when the series was known as the Australian Touring Car Championship and attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region over the 35 years.

The Victorian government has also contributed $1 million for track upgrades in recent years.