A few days ahead of the 2024 Cup Series season opener at Daytona, NASCAR travels to the L.A. Coliseum in Los Angeles for the Busch Light Clash on February 4 (Sunday). The exhibition event that is scheduled for this weekend marks the maiden race of the new year, however, NASCAR already faces a climatic challenge going into the new season.
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According to NWS Los Angeles, Los Angeles is expected to be under heavy fire from a thunderstorm at the time of the event. The risk for life-threatening floods is also forecasted to be at dangerous levels come Sunday. With the race set to begin at 8 p.m. ET, the ongoing weather challenges pose serious questions about the race running green.
The latest on the next storm. This shaping out to be a life-threatening flooding situation especially during the Sunday through Monday time period. This is a lot of rain, with a potential for projections to go even higher. There is still time to prepare. #cawx #larain pic.twitter.com/pyApvzLhya
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) February 1, 2024
Damp weather is something that can be tackled using Goodyear’s special wet tires and defoggers, but NASCAR cannot race under strong rain considering that the cars do not have wipers, lights, or rain flaps for short tracks this year. The only hope right now is for the rain to not run riot during the race hours. However, other reports include the projection of 1-2 inches of rainfall at the time.
What happens to a NASCAR race under heavy rain conditions?
NASCAR does not run races under live rain due to concerns about driver safety. When the rain initially falls, officials wave the caution flag to alert drivers and slow their cars down. Wet conditions on the track make regular tires slippery and consequently high speeds very dangerous. Should the rain persist or get worse, the red flag will be waved signaling the event’s end.
Upon closure, officials may decide to declare a winner, reschedule the race, or resume it at a later time. The decision will be based largely on the race’s completion stage at the time of stoppage. According to the rule book, a race that has reached its halfway mark or stage 2 before being stopped by rain, is considered to be official. In this case of a rain-shortened event, full points are awarded to the driver who led the race at the time.
And I have gotten questions with forecasts all over the place for Sunday. They will have rain tires and defoggers but no wipers, lights, rain flaps. So wouldn’t race in the rain or if so wet there would be spray. But could race in the damp (and would think track dries quick). https://t.co/whjP0j9hhx
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 29, 2024
Considering that the Clash at the L.A. Coliseum is not a points-based race, the race winner will get a share of the $2,210,000 prize money. The current forecasts can change before Sunday, but fans should expect a delay in things being underway at the Coliseum.
