“Major Flooding” Threatens Playoffs Arrival as Hurricane Idalia Closes In on Darlington

As the Cup Series circus is heading to the hustling short-track at Darlington, NASCAR has hit its first hurdle and to make matters even worse, the whole event might be at risk here. With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the playoff rounds are about to commence, but the community is bracing for something bigger in the form of a tropical hurricane.

Anxiety reached new heights when the tropical storm reached the Gulf of Mexico recently. The storm that was strengthened into a hurricane has forced evacuations in Florida where it will make landfall on Wednesday.

For NASCAR fans, this certainly is bad news as we expect the tropical winds to bring in massive showers. A popular NASCAR enthusiast on his social media shed light on the alarming situation as he brought out the data and analytics.

Hurricane Idalia poses a threat as the playoff action reaches the gates of Darlington Raceway

Science and technology have brought the human race greater goods and have certainly improved the lives of millions, but if there’s one thing still beyond our reach, it is Mother Nature and her wrath. While we now have adequate know-how to predict these natural disasters, there is no way around it other than to face it head-on.

However, the latest innovations give us a heads-up before nature’s force unleashes its fury. With that, a tropical storm that has strengthened into a more hellish hurricane is now barreling its way toward Florida and has the entire population alarmed.

And for racing fans, their favorite NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington too might be in harm’s way. Fox reporter and NASCAR enthusiast, Bob Pockrass broke the news to the community as he shared the data on his social media.

While the weather experts are expecting massive waves across the coasts of Florida. Pockrass’ tweet mentions the possibility of major flooding as Darlington is expected to receive 4-6 inches of rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

The track is just 20 miles northwest of Florence, where the storm will bear its fangs. But unless something like significant infrastructure damage occurs, Sunday’s race will most probably go as planned.

READ MORE: “Nobody Wants to Die”- Kenny Wallace Brutally Slams NASCAR Community’s Outrageous Expectation

What exactly is the scale of the Hurricane

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The inapt timing of the storm is one that raises more questions. Hurricane Idalia coincides with a supermoon, simply meaning that it will be closer to the Earth. The Moon’s proximity to our planet is known to cause massive variations in tidal patterns.

New moons and full moons have a direct impact on tides due to the change in gravitational pull. To make matters worse, Prof. Steven Morey, from Florida’s A&M School of the Environment said, “This area where the storm is projected to hit has the largest tidal range in the entire Gulf of Mexico.” 

And there is no question what such massive tides can do to a coastline. To add to the concern, he also said, “When you’re talking about a 12-foot storm surge, the difference can be significant.”  NASCAR is no stranger to weather complications as last year Hurricane Ian posed similar problems. The weather could even be considered a big factor in Bubba Wallace’s recent success.

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2021 had a winner heavily influenced by the weather and subsequent delays. Bubba Wallace conquered the Talladega Super Speedway. While the race only had 2 out of the three stages, he attained a first-place spot as the race was ended by a red flag due to the rain. This was Wallace’s first-ever first-place finish, not ideal but we’re sure he isn’t complaining!

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While HMS’ Chase Elliott missing his first-ever playoff sent shockwaves across the community, NASCAR’s playoff starter at Darlington looks to be nature’s mercy.