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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA MAR 21 Sprint Cup Series – Food City 500 BRISTOL, TN – MAR 21: The NASCAR Sprint Cup teams take to the track for the running of the Food City 500 race at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Mar 21, 2010 in Bristol, TN.Credit Image: Â ASP/Cal Media Bristol TN United States EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20100321_zaf_a55_019.jpg WalterxGxArcex csmphoto321048
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NASCAR, Motorsport, USA MAR 21 Sprint Cup Series – Food City 500 BRISTOL, TN – MAR 21: The NASCAR Sprint Cup teams take to the track for the running of the Food City 500 race at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Mar 21, 2010 in Bristol, TN.Credit Image: Â ASP/Cal Media Bristol TN United States EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20100321_zaf_a55_019.jpg WalterxGxArcex csmphoto321048
The tight confines of Bristol Motor Speedway always guarantee a fight, but this weekend’s biggest opponent might not be another driver, but the track itself. The heat can pose a significant challenge to the cars, especially the tires. So as NASCAR prepares for a packed weekend of action, will the weather side with the drivers for once this year?
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Weather predictions for the race weekend
The weekend will kick off with the Truck Series race on Friday. While this will be the clearest day all weekend, it will also be marked by relatively lower temperatures. Perhaps the lowest throughout the weekend.
Friday, 10 of April
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On Friday, as the Truck drivers begin the practice session, the track would probably be the hottest, considering the mercury would have peaked at 76° by then. As per The Weather Channel, there seems to be no forecast for cloud cover that day. Understandably, there is also no prediction of rain. The humidity will be around 40%. But by the time the drivers actually push down for the race in the evening, the concrete surface would begin cooling down.
Saturday, 11 of April
Saturday will be the first time the Cup drivers get a chance to hit the track. However, this will push the O’Reilly drivers earlier in the day. Ambient temperature is expected to be slightly warmer on Saturday, however, with partial cloud cover. The drivers can still expect the track surface to heat up quite a bit as the forecast predicts 78° for the day. The humidity will be slightly higher, but nothing to help the drivers.
Sunday, 12 of April
The Cup drivers will possibly face the track in its worst form of racing when they hit the track at 3 p.m. ET on the hottest day of the weekend. The temperature is expected to cross 80°, peaking at 84° during the day. The track surface will be extremely hot, making the racing part extremely tricky for the drivers.
What to expect from the NASCAR race at Bristol?
Racing at Bristol has never been easy because of the tight action the track provides. However, this year, it will be a whole new challenge for the drivers. It wouldn’t just be the scorching heat that would make the overall racing difficult, but also the track surface. Concrete is known to trap heat. That, paired with the short-track package that NASCAR has introduced for this season, could be a massive challenge for the drivers in all possible forms.
Understandably, the higher horsepower on the heated track will lead to massive tire degradation, and like it has been the story on most of the short tracks this season so far, the Bristol race will end up becoming a strategic race. The teams and drivers with the best strategy will find the lead at the right time. Getting into the lead too early could mean early degradation, and too much saving could delay the overcutting by far too much.
At the end of the day, the teams will have to find a sweet spot to maintain a high position on the track. This could turn out to be one of the hottest races of the season so far, thanks to how the forecast looks right now.
Written by
Edited by
Suyashdeep Sason