During the 2024 NASCAR Cup season, rain influenced six of the 36 races. In some instances, teams were instructed to switch to wet weather tires, while a few events like the Daytona 500 had to be rescheduled to the following day. But is rescheduling races due to rain standard practice in NASCAR? A Joe Gibbs Racing insider provided some insight.
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In a recent YouTube video on the Joe Gibbs Racing channel, a NASCAR insider discussed the impact of rain on races, explaining, “NASCAR races get rescheduled because of rain when your tires look like this. Water on the track can cause chaos in previous years any amount of rain would postpone a race but now we have a wet weather Tire.”
He further continued, “As of now it’s used at road courses and smaller tracks and it continues to be tested at some of the bigger tracks.”
“While it can’t handle torrential rain it’s been effective at getting cars back on track in damp conditions if it rains at all at some of the bigger tracks or too much at some of the smaller tracks races may have to be delayed sometimes minutes, sometimes hours and sometimes even days.”
This year, the season opener, the Daytona 500, was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday due to persistent heavy rain. The seventh race, the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway was also affected due to rain, and competitors started on wet weather tires as the track was still damp. The season’s first race at Kansas, the AdventHealth 400, saw a significant delay because of continuous showers.
The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway also faced disruptions. Kyle Larson, who was attempting his first double duty, and had just competed in a rain-delayed Indianapolis 500, made it to Charlotte during a caution but couldn’t compete as the race was red-flagged due to ongoing rain and lightning. Ultimately, the event was called off after 249 laps, and Bell was declared the winner.
Rain also tainted the Chicago Street course, forcing drivers to don their wet weather tires. Additionally, qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 in Michigan was scrapped because of rain.
For fans, while direct cash refunds are not available, NASCAR’s Weather Protection Program offers some solace. Fans can swap their tickets for a future NASCAR event of equal or lesser value.
They have 60 days to reach out to the appropriate officials for ticket exchanges. However, if a race is merely postponed to later the same day and a ticket-holder cannot attend, they are not eligible for ticket exchanges.
The progression of technology NASCAR used to dry racetracks has come a long way
Initially, NASCAR employed low-flying helicopters to help dry the tracks, a practice that ended in Michigan in 1969 following an incident where a damaged helicopter had to be removed from the track. Subsequently, they resorted to using race cars to push water to the track’s edges, a method that didn’t sit well with the drivers.
In response to their dissatisfaction, NASCAR introduced jet dryers, which were mounted on the back of pickup trucks and worked by blasting the track with heat up to 1100 degrees. However, this method was fuel-intensive, consuming 200 gallons per hour for each truck. Seeking a more efficient solution, NASCAR rolled out the Air Titan in 2013.
Although not the pinnacle of cost-effectiveness, NASCAR later upgraded to the Air Titan 2.0, the version familiar to fans today. The improved system expels air at speeds exceeding 500 mph onto wet surfaces to scatter the water.
