Weather Forecast for NASCAR Cup Series Race on Bristol Dirt Track: Rain Threat Looms Large

Published 03/27/2021, 6:30 AM EDT

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup and Truck Series will visit the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track. Preparation is already underway, both from the drivers’ end and NASCAR’s. The likes of Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch and Larson, Austin Dillon and many more are competing in dirt events.

NASCAR has introduced a new kind of tire to improve the grip levels. The bias ply tyres are vastly different from the slick radial tyres and will help displace a lot of dirt and provide better grip.

However, there is a new problem that faces the grid. – weather could play spoilsport and make life a lot more difficult for everyone involved.

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Natl Weather Service for Bristol: temps in 60s today, 10% chance rain … Sat: Temps 60s, 60% chance rain day, 40% night … Sun: Temps 60s, 70-80% chance rain .. Mon: Temps 50-60s, 10% chance rain … Can't race in rain. If lengthy, heavy downpour, expect 2-4 hrs to prep track.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 26, 2021

According to the National Weather Service for Bristol, the city experienced temperatures of 60°F on Friday. In addition to that, there was a 10% chance of rain.

However, Saturday could be the start of a few problems. This is because the temperature may remain the same, but with a 60% chance of rain in the daytime. On the bright side, the chance of rain reduces to 40% at night.

How will weather affect the Sunday NASCAR Cup race?

Moving to Sunday’s race, things could get a whole lot worse, as there is a high chance of rain, 70-80%, to be precise. On the following day, things will calm down a little, as the probability drops as low as 10%.

Obviously, NASCAR cars and rainfall is not a very good combination, and dirt will make things much more difficult. Another concern is that if there is a lengthy, heavy downpour, there could be a two to four hour delay to prepare the track.

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They can't race on a track that is either too slick from rain or muddy … if it rains enough, they will have to stop and then prepare the track after rain ends. It really is a guess on how long it would take considering this is a new track and these cars have never been on it. https://t.co/IrpZjGDChj
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 24, 2021

For obvious reasons, no car can race on a track that is too slick from rain or muddy. If there is too much rainfall, the officials will be forced to stop the race and prepare the track after rain ends.

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One thing is for sure, all eyes will be on the heavens. Already the situation will be tricky on the loose dirt, but the presence of rain will complicate things. Even if the race is miraculously dry, there is the issue of dust being kicked up. The same argument could be made for when it rains and mud could be thrown up into the air and limit visibility.

NASCAR Cup Series Drivers Face New Challenge With Tires for Bristol Dirt Race

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Written by:

Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.