NASCAR Makes Extensive Contingency Plans for New Hampshire With Mother Nature Lurking Over the Shoulder

Rain gods have been frequent visitors at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and it’s no different this time around. It has rained on the 1.058-mile oval in Loudon three times in the last four years, which is why NASCAR had contingency plans ready in case Mother Nature decides to play spoilsport again! And that’s exactly what happened! As things stand, it has already rained at the “Magic Mile” ahead of the race weekend, and forecasts predict the possibility of a thunderstorm. Boy, talk about bad luck!

With weather threatening this weekend’s Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR has made adjustments to its schedule and updated the rules to make the most of this tricky situation.

NASCAR prepares for the worst at New Hampshire

Rain on Friday already canceled the Xfinity Series practice session, and reports from the weather channel aren’t promising. The chances of thundershowers on Saturday are as high as 86%, while on Sunday has a 73% chance of thunderstorms. Monday has a 45% chance of scattered thunderstorms, while sunny skies are predicted on Tuesday. This makes NASCAR’s contingency plans all the more important, given the fact that this weekend’s action could be severely affected by the weather.

Under the circumstances, journalist Bob Pockrass has shared a list of the updated rules ahead of this weekend’s action. The tweet read, “Have rain tires to race in damp (not rain). Cars have defoggers; no wipers (use RainX). Likely 60-75 min to dry, poss less to run in damp. No lights. Sundown 8:30p ET. Any decision to move start time by 1hr would be made w/24-hr notice. If Mon, time TBD. Last yr: Noon ET.”

While NASCAR’s new updates are fairly straightforward, they do indicate that there isn’t a real ‘plan’ if the weather acts up. Rain could likely delay the Cup Series race to Monday, considering the weather predictions for the weekend. With no lights on the track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, driving in the dark could be a hindrance, as seen in Chicago and Loudon in the past year. However, with the black-and-white rule in place, teams can devise a strategy to make the most of the situation, as seen in Chicago.

What are the changes to Cup qualifying?

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NASCAR has announced Cup qualifying changes will take effect at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. While the fastest car in qualifying will start at the pole in the race, the second-fastest car in the final round might not be the one that will start alongside in the front row.

As per the new rules, the fastest cars in the final qualification rounds from Groups A and B will start first and second and get to select their lane. This means that if the fastest car was from Group A, it would start first, and the quickest car from Group B would start second, even if vehicles from Group A were faster during the qualification process.

Five Group A and B cars will progress into the final qualification round. After the front row is decided, the final round cars from Group A will be given starting spots (4th, 6th, 8th, 10th) outside the front row, based on their qualifying speed. Meanwhile, cars from the group will be given starting spots (3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th) based on their qualifying speed in the final round.

However, if the final qualification round isn’t completed due to weather, NASCAR has announced that speeds from the first round will be used to set up the top 10, with the fastest cars from Groups A and B making it to the front row. As things stand, Cup qualifying is set to begin at 1:20 p.m. ET on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Do you think the new qualification process is too complicated? Let us know in the comments!