Charlotte Motor Speedway CEO gives weather update, projected start time for Coca-Cola 600
With things getting set to get going soon for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, weather could play a factor leading into the race. The track has already shared several updates and the owner has now shared a message of his own.
Marcus Smith, President & CEO of Speedway Motorsports, retweeted a release from the speedway regarding the weather conditions. He went on to add that, from what he understands, fans can expect a start time around 8 p.m. once the showers stop and the track is dried. Still, at the moment, Smith added there are ‘no guarantees’ and that we all ‘shall see’ as far as a start time.
“Along with NASCAR, we’re continuing to monitor the weather, and some forecasts are showing clearing early this evening,” said the release from Charlotte Motor Speedway around 3 p.m. “We are prepared to launch a full-scale track-drying effort to get the Coca-Cola 600 started. Our goal is to do everything possible to race tonight!”
The 400-lap race, the longest of the NASCAR season, will be aired on Fox. Rain also impacted qualifying which means, whenever it does begin, William Byron will find himself in the pole position.
Biggest weather challenge facing NASCAR for Sunday running of Coca-Cola 600
NASCAR is facing many challenges from the weather in attempting to run the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday.
Waiting for rainfall to dissipate is one thing, and obviously needed for NASCAR to wave the green flag. Drying the 1.5-mile oval is another, and could be the most daunting task of all. Per Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, the updated forecast calls for rainfall to stop around 7-8 p.m. ET. However, the combination of high humidity and no wind could make drying the track a challenge.
“Forecasts say possible rain ends 7-8pm but humidity/no wind could make track drying a challenge,” Pockrass tweeted. “My guess: NASCAR won’t start much later than 9p (b/c that targets end around 1:30am), so likely needs to stop raining by around 7p So TBD when they would know that with certainty.”
Mother nature has impacted the weekend’s events, forcing the Xfinity Series race scheduled for Saturday to be moved to Monday. Additionally, Cup Series qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 was postponed. Hours ahead of the 6 p.m. ET scheduled start time, the forecast remains much of the same: steady rain expected to dissipate in the later evening.