Has Stormy Weather Ever Threatened NASCAR’s All-Star Race in Its 39-Year History?

Mother Nature has thrown a wrench in NASCAR’s plans on numerous occasions. Record downpour and flash flood warnings in Chicago last year cut short the street race that crowned Shane van Gisbergen as the winner. Most recently, the Daytona 500 race was also postponed by a day after constant rain battered the track. But has a race been outright canceled? As it turns out, yes.

Yesterday a surprising piece of news flooded NASCAR’s social media: the All-Star heat races are called off. Initially meant to determine the line-up for the final Sunday race, now the qualifying results will do the job. A NASCAR insider recently leafed through the pages of history and dug out another canceled NASCAR event- but it was unrelated to All-Star.

NASCAR’s plans were duped by the heavens earlier

The NASCAR All-Star Race is a phenomenon that began almost 40 years ago. In 1985, officials flagged off the first race, then called ‘The Winston’. The ingenuity behind the concept was a definitive success, although hampered by future concerns. But never did this non-point event face hindrances from inclement weather. 

Until now, of course. After over two hours and four inches of rainfall at North Wilkesboro Speedway, officials took the difficult call: they canceled the heat races. Tagging along were the Truck races, postponed till Sunday morning, 11:30 AM. The deluge led some fans to call it the “All-Star Canoe Race.”

This marked only the second time in history that the stormy weather has brought about a drastic decision. Seth Eggert, Editor at Kickin’ the Tires, dug out a past incident as evidence. He tweeted: “The cancellation of the @NASCAR #AllStarRace Heat Races is the FIRST TIME that a #NASCAR event has been outright cancelled due to weather since Trenton in 1973. It’s just the 2nd time in the Modern Era that weather has forced a race to be cancelled.”

Trenton Speedway is a now-defunct venue, and it held racing events even before NASCAR’s birth. Starting in 1900, the track hosted dirt racing and USAC events. In 1957, Trenton held its first NASCAR Grand National event. 

As mentioned by Eggert, the particular rain-affected event, the Northern 500 race, was meant to be held on July 15. Raising some hope, officials initially postponed the race to August 5. At that time, the speedway’s five telephone lines were crazy busy with hundreds of callers who inquired whether there would be a race. But sadly, it was never rescheduled.

However, we need not worry as the final All-Star race is coming up in all its glory. The race never faced a rain deluge, but in 1992, it faced a novel development that soon influenced all of NASCAR.

Lights, caution, action!

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The All-Star Race will forevermore be hailed as the event of innovation. It serves as a testing ground for new ideas which pave the way for the sport. This year, the multiple tire compounds will, hopefully, foresee a better short-track racing product. Similarly, the All-Star Race in 1992 was unique: It ran at night for the first time, a concept that almost seemed unachievable back in the 90s! 

It was promoter Humpy Wheeler’s brainchild, as he proposed to light up Charlotte Motor Speedway. Labeled ‘One Hot Night’, it excited the 100,000 fans who attended. Davey Allison beat Richard Petty in a photo finish. Plus, this race made the once-unimaginable idea of racing at night on superspeedways a resounding reality in NASCAR.

So without a doubt, NASCAR’s All-Star Race will keep throwing surprises at us for as long as it exists, even in the absence of rain.