Much thought went into moving NASCAR’s All-Star Race from North Wilkesboro to Dover this season, but maybe not enough. There haven’t been many weekends so far this year where rain hasn’t threatened to wash away the entire event. But with a $1 million prize money in question, there is a lot that the weather might hamper at Dover.

Weather forecast for NASCAR’s All-Star Weekend

Heading into the next week, the Delaware skies might not exactly be clear. While the chances of rain throughout the weekend are less, they still exist.

Friday, 15 May

Friday will mark all the events for the Truck Series, beginning with the practice and qualifying right after noon, but the track will then be occupied by the Cup drivers for their pit road qualifying practice. While the day will be cloudy with alternating patches of clear sky, the chances of rain remain low at just 3%. This will be the clearest day of the weekend.

Saturday, 16 May

The following day, with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series making its first appearance on the track, it will be significantly hotter, with temperatures reaching 82° during the day. However, the chances of rain also increase further. As per The Weather Channel, there is an overall 12% chance of rain on the track during the day. This could be crucial, considering all of the NOAPS events stacked in one day, with the Cup Series qualifying session.

Sunday, 17 May

On Sunday, when the Cup drivers, for once, battle for just the money and not the championship, the track will heat up to 87°. However, The Weather Channel also predicts that there could be light showers on the same day. This could delay or perhaps modify the overall schedule for the day. The race is currently set for 1 p.m. ET, so it wouldn’t be surprising if showers interrupt it midway, bringing it to a halt.

Dover is set for a historical change

For the first time in the track’s history, Dover Motor Speedway, which has held over 100 NASCAR races since 1969, will not host a point-scoring race. The All-Star Race is not a part of the main Cup Series championship. However, the drivers still have a massive target to chase: $1 million. The race winner, of course, gets the prize.

Historically, the race was usually held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. It then changed a couple of times, jumping between Bristol and Texas, before settling at North Wilkesboro between 2023 and 2025. But this season, for the first time in history, it will be at the Dover Motor Speedway.

“The reason why we like it is because we’ve never had it before,” Dover Motor Speedway’s general manager, Mike Tatoian, said. “Any time you get a new product, I think it’s good for the fans. … Having the anomaly of it here for the first time in the Northeast, we’ve created a lot of excitement around it.”

For the North Wilkesboro Speedway, this is also a historic moment. The track will host a point-scoring Cup races for the first time since 1996. The track had only returned to the Cup calendar for the All-Star Race. However, with the point-scoring race returning, it will be a historic moment.

So, although there is a slight chance of weather hampering the overall race, it could still be very exciting for the fans. Dover would prove to be a unique challenge for the drivers, only making the $1 million prize a little more difficult to attain.