New Hampshire Weather Update: Rain Gods Could Force NASCAR to Move the Cup Race to Tuesday

After a thrilling inaugural race weekend at Iowa Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The 1.058-mile oval racetrack for the past few seasons has always been under threat of being washed due to bad weather. Unfortunately, this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Loudon is also predicted to be affected by heavy rainfall.

NASCAR has already had trouble dealing with rain on multiple occasions since the start of the season. The Daytona 500 had to be moved a day ahead, the All-Star Weekend had to undergo a significant rescheduling, and the Coca-Cola 600 had to be called official after running the half-length.

Options NASCAR would consider in case of rain hampering Sunday’s event

In 2023, NASCAR was forced to postpone the New Hampshire Cup Series race to Monday due to the rain. Due to that, fans and the community were hoping for dry and apt conditions for racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but the weather is likely to play spoilsport. The racetrack has already started gearing up for changes in the schedule, which started with the Wheelen race being moved ahead of the original schedule.

Providing an update on weather and the potential outcome of the race, Bob Pockrass, via his X account, wrote, “Natl Weather Service forecast says some model spread on the timing of possible rain Sunday-Monday. I’d say probably need 2.5-hour window to dry to start in damp and get at least halfway so wouldn’t rule out getting it in. Historically, NASCAR would race Tuesday if Sun-Mon a wash.”

Although the teams have wet weather tires as a precaution, NASCAR will not run the race in rain. These tires are only used in damp conditions, as they were at the North Wilkesboro Speedway and Richmond races earlier this season. Also, it requires a minimum of 60–70 minutes for the dryness to make the condition race-worthy. So, as per the current forecast, the NASCAR Cup Series race could be moved to Monday or Tuesday.

As a precautionary measure, the Wheelen race has been moved ahead of schedule. An official announcement regarding the same was shared on X. “Due to impending inclement weather, tomorrow’s #MoheganSun100 has been moved up to 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 22.” No changes have yet been confirmed for the Xfinity race or the Cup qualifying sessions.

However, this is not the first time NASCAR will run a race on a weekday, as the precedent has already been set in past events.

The infamous 2020 Texas race that was completed after four days

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NASCAR found themselves in a pickle when they had to reschedule their playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway on multiple occasions back in 2022. Thanks to the adverse weather conditions and a downpour of rain, NASCAR dropped the red flag after running 52 laps in the race, leaving them with no option but to move the race ahead on Monday. But again, they couldn’t get the race underway and called off the race after planning to go green by 4 p.m.

A rather similar story unfolded on Tuesday as, despite the efforts to dry the track, NASCAR had to call off the race due to light showers. This pushed the race further, and everyone was hoping that Wednesday would prove to be favorable and the prayers would finally be answered. After a delay of over 72 hours, the race did complete its full length of 334 laps, with Kyle Busch emerging as the winner.

Hopefully, NASCAR has learned the lessons from the past event and plans to reschedule the USA Today 301 race this Sunday. However, a call regarding the same will be made on Sunday after trying to get the race underway, or they may also run half the course and call it official as they did at the Coca-Cola 600 this year.