NASCAR doesn’t seem to be catching a break with the weather this season. After the North Carolina snowstorm almost ruined the pre-season Clash, temperatures soared, affecting tires and drivers at COTA and Phoenix. Now, heading into Darlington Raceway, an East Coast storm is threatening another one of NASCAR’s premier races.

While Washington’s Mayor, Muriel Bowser, has advised people to “stay inside” during the storm, the question remains: will it affect the race weekend?

How does the weather look for the weekend in Darlington?

The storm has significantly lowered the temperature around the region right now, but it will soon start changing in the upcoming days. As per The Weather Channel, there will be a drastic increase in the temperature by Friday, with slightly cloudy skies keeping the track slightly cool. Moreover, the threat of the storm does not seem urgent.

The Truck race on Friday is expected to have much cooler temperatures. With the temperatures soaring between 50° and 72°F, there wouldn’t be much to worry about. A cloud cover is expected throughout the day, and by evening, the race should go on without any major heating issues.

On Saturday, the heat will increase significantly, with the mercury peaking at 80°F and dropping to 60°F at night. However, the cloud cover should once again keep the asphalt relatively cool, making it an easier race for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. However, there could be a massive change on Sunday for the Cup teams.

Sunday is expected to be extremely sunny with little to no cloud cover. The temperature will rise to 86°F. Furthermore, the asphalt at Darlington will be heated to an extremely high temperature by the time the Cup race goes green. This will provide significant challenges for the teams, with the risk of another tire emergency like the one at Phoenix.

The tire situation at Darlington

The ‘Lady in Black’ has never been easy on the tires, but it could be especially difficult this year. With the increase in horsepower to 750hp, the rear tires will be especially under stress, and the heated asphalt will not help the situation either.

As for the tire allocation, the Cup Series teams will get 10 sets, along with one scuffed from qualifying, making a total of 11. For the Truck and the NOAP Series, each team is allocated five sets. They will have two sets for the practice sessions because of the increase in duration.

The race could be interesting. While the drivers will have the advantage with the increase in total engine output, they will also have to manage the tires well. At the end of the day, a large part of the racing will depend on the correct strategy.