NASCAR Cup Drivers Bracing Themselves for Difficult Race at Daytona Amid Rain Threat

This weekend, the NASCAR fraternity heads to Daytona for its road course’s Cup Series debut. Most of the drivers are going in blind, having never raced on the road course before. However, there are drivers like Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr who have used the road course layout.

In spite of this several drivers are quite wary, and also praying that the rain gods stay away. Newman admitted that there are many unknowns and he cannot pinpoint the biggest one. The driver even confessed that he was hoping for some rain.

This is because it will only ramp up the challenge further, at a track that few know and with rainfall making things trickier. The good news is that the Sunday forecast predicts scattered thunderstorms.

How will the NASCAR drivers handle the Daytona race in the rain?

Fortunately, Goodyear is shipping in rain tires, allowing teams to run in the rain unless there is a downpour. If this does happen, it will be the first time that a Cup race went ahead with cars on rain tires.

Kurt Busch told NBC Sports, “On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being difficult, this is a 10.”

Meanwhile, Chase Elliott is relishing the challenge, because he never entered a race with no expectations.

Speaking to NBC Sports about his experience, Newman said, “I’ve got laps around that track without the extra chicane, but that doesn’t mean I won’t haul off into Turn 1 and blow through the grass. You don’t know. It will be more patience than aggressiveness, I promise you by pretty much everyone. Those that don’t, you’ll notice.”

Even pole-sitter Kevin Harvick is dreading the race, especially since he has to lead the pack into Turn 1. He admitted, “I have no freaking clue where I’m going as we go down there. Most everybody in the field is the same way.”

Teams stay on the oval through the backstretch before turning into the chicane there and going back on to the oval. A chicane was added off what is Turn 4 on the oval to help slow the cars before returning to the infield portion of the course. That was done for fear that the high speeds would wear the brakes over the race.