Last weekend’s Chicago Street Race was a drenched, slippery drama. After defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen himself fell prey to the slippery track, Alex Bowman wheeled to victory. But Mother Nature’s plans do not seem to end soon. After four consecutive weeks of damp racing, she has yet to quench her thirst as the Great American Getaway 400 race looms ahead.

As excitement builds up for the Tricky Triangle, the skies may be dampened. Although history has displayed better weather fortunes for Pocono Raceway, a recent update projects some gloomy plans for the 2024 race.

No sun for the Great American Getaway 400 as well?

NASCAR drivers and fans must be fed up at this point with the nagging rain. Although the higher-ups implemented wet-weather tires in Chicago, it was a damp mess. Cup heavyweight Kyle Larson found himself losing control of the No. 5 and skidding into a tire barrier. So nobody would wish for the same soppy conditions to continue for the following weekends. But the weather gods might yet again disappoint people for the Great American Getaway 400 race in Pocono.

A recent weather forecast reveals incoming showers for the coming weekend. The highest chance lies on Friday, during the Craftsman Truck Series race, with around a 55% chance of rain. Then on Saturday, a similar scenario looms on the horizon. Thankfully, the most-anticipated event, The Great American Getaway 400, has far lower chances of rain, at 20%.

But the chances are not null and void. Race Weather updated the weather situation surrounding the Cup race. “On Sunday, a weak upper-level shortwave trough will move through the area. This could lead to some showers throughout the day.” They also empathized with fans’ tumultuous emotions regarding the update: “I promise y’all I take no enjoyment in this, but rain is yet again in the forecast for the #NASCAR weekend at @PoconoRaceway. Friday has the main chance, but it can’t be ruled out for Sunday either.” 

Past races have seen rain clouds clearing out before the Great American Getaway 400 race flagged off in Pocono. Last year, the chances of rain stuck to only Friday and Saturday, while Sunday saw a hassle-free race unfold in dry conditions. However, as projected by this year’s forecast, rainfall may occur on Sunday. And certain geographical conditions exist to make this possible.

Pocono’s unique layout draws rain

Drivers are heading to picturesque scenery this weekend after racing in an urban cityscape last weekend. Pocono Raceway is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, boasting an elevation of approximately 2,000 feet above sea level. The Tricky Triangle also has a unique feature: it is on the Pocono Plateau, which allows rain clouds to hover over it. Summertime showers and thunderstorm activity can hit the area even more than at lower elevations in the region.

The large tri-oval can also face a peculiar phenomenon. It could rain on one part of the track and not another, throwing up a vast number of possibilities for a race field of competitive drivers. The 2.5-mile track also cools down due to the high elevation. This could beat the heat and relieve the thousands of campers who make the meadows of the parking area home for the weekend. Hence, the Great American Getaway 400 race projects a mixture of possibilities.

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson will return to Pocono after their heated rivalry last year. Hopefully, the weather will not play spoilsport for this steamy competition.