Rain, the biggest culprit behind NASCAR races being cut short. Since the year 2000, more than 33 races have been shortened because of it. But will the most common cutshort culprit sour the mood this weekend at Talladega? And if so, what would NASCAR do?
NASCAR weather update for Talladega paints an anxious picture
According to the weather forecast as of Wednesday, there is a 67% chance of rain on Saturday, when the O’Reilly race is scheduled. On Friday, there is a chance of thunderstorms after midnight. On Saturday too, the period between morning and afternoon can witness thunderstorms.
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Luckily, for Sunday, there is a 24% chance of rain, which might seem better, but don’t take a sigh of relief just yet.
Even though the chances of rain are low on Sunday, it could very well turn out to be similar weather to Saturday, when rain is more or less expected throughout the day and into the evening. So until the rain chances turn to 0%, the situation wouldn’t necessarily be resolved.
But if it does rain on either Saturday or Sunday, NASCAR may probably not have a lot of options. First of all, in situations like this, with dynamic weather and the chances of rain rising or falling, NASCAR employs a ’24 hours notice’. This is essentially when the sanctioning body choses to deal with a situation like potential rain by moving the race timings up or down, or in some cases, a full day ahead or back.
But even if NASCAR did that at Talladega in case it rained, they’d have to do it very carefully. Talladega Superspeedway, while one of the world’s greatest racetracks, is still not very modern as a racing facility. The track doesn’t have lights. So if the racing went beyond 7:19 p.m. local time, which is when the sunset is projected, there simply wouldn’t be any racing possible irrespective of the sky or the state of the track.
LINCOLN, AL – APRIL 23: A pack of cars race down the front straightaway during the GEICO 500 in the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series on Sunday, April 23, 2023 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, AL. Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire AUTO: APR 23 NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon230423015
And as for the state of the track if it does rain, it would take a long time for the track to be dried considering the sheer scale of it. The track at Talladega is 2.66 miles long and takes over two hours to dry after the rain stops.
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Then there’s the schedule of Saturday, the day when there is a 67% chance of rain. Cup qualifying, ARCA race, and the O’Reilly race are all on Saturday. Therefore, moving the Cup race up on Sunday would be a difficult thing to do unless one of the two already scheduled races move away to make up space.
Having said that, it’s worth noting that NASCAR has never preponed a race because of weather. So what would NASCAR do in such a situation?
NASCAR’s last resort if it rains on Saturday and Sunday
In 2024, because of two days of non-stop raining, NASCAR was forced to push the Daytona 500 to Monday. In fact, the Xfinity Series race was also pushed to Monday.
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It’s worth mentioning that while rain has turned out to be a factor at Daytona 500, shortening it on four occasions (1965, 1966, 2003, 2009), the first time it forced NASCAR to postpone the race to Monday was in 2012. The same happened in 2020. Even this season, NASCAR was forced to push the Clash at Bowman Gray to Monday because of snow.
The same could potentially happen for Talladega this weekend, and it wouldn’t be unprecedented. In 2021, the YellaWood 500 was postponed for a Monday because of persistent rain. The same was also the case in 2020.
But the question is, would the same be the case this year as well? Let’s cross our fingers and hope that isn’t the case so fans can enjoy a good day of superspeedway racing under a clear sky on a Sunday, the way it is meant to be.
