Rain and motorsports can sometimes lead to some fantastic racing action but in NASCAR, it has often been an issue rather than an opportunity. Oval racing requires plenty of sliding around at high speeds while battling amid large packs of cars which is not safe if the surface is wet.
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However, that does not stop Mother Nature from playing spoilsport every now and then, especially during the 2024 season which has seen several rain/weather-affected races. Therefore, the organizers have had to come up with various ways of drying the track. Ironically, the most effective one is perhaps the simplest.
In the early days, NASCAR used low-flying helicopters to help dry the track. However, that practice ceased in Michigan in 1969 when a damaged helicopter had to be removed from the track. They then started using the race cars to dry the track as they would disperse the water to the sides.
As drivers weren’t big fans of this process, the governance had to change directions once again. This time, the technology started getting innovative. The first use of it was the jet dryers. The concept was that jet engines attached to the back of pickup trucks dried the track by releasing 1100 degrees of heat on it.
It worked well but the problem was the cost that the process incurred. 200 gallons of fuel was required every hour per truck for this activity to take place and it was simply unsustainable. The solution they came up with after this one was not cost-effective either. 2013 saw the introduction of the Air Titan. However, the first model was ineffective and expensive.
Therefore the following year, NASCAR introduced the Air Titan 2.0. That’s what fans are used to seeing today. It blows air at over 500 mph on a wet surface to disperse the water.
These state-of-the-art machines are also not cheap. However, they aren’t as costly as an actual jet dryer burning fuel. Efficiency is still an issue since it takes a lot of time to dry the tracks but it’s unclear whether anyone can do anything about that.
In the end, the most cost and time-saving method has been using the race cars themselves. In today’s world, Cup Series cars can also run on wet-weather tires and go around the track at a decent speed, dispersing the water in the shortest time possible.
As for racing action is concerned, competing in the rain is a whole different ballgame. For all of the technological advancements, it truly is ironic that the old way is still the most efficient method despite decades of technological advancement. Goes to say something about the might of nature, doesn’t it?
