NASCAR has not been able to catch a break from bad weather since the start of the 2024 season. The Busch Light Clash was affected by the rain, the Daytona 500 had to be postponed, and now it looks like the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway might suffer a similar fate.
After a washed Friday, it was expected that all the events lined up for today would go ahead as planned. But yet again, the weather turned sour on the NASCAR events, which forced their hands to further postpone the proceedings. What was expected to be a special weekend of racing has turned into a constant struggle against the weather.
Things are looking pretty grim at North Wilkesboro Speedway
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The weather just has been cruel the entire week, and is not showing signs of slowing down. It is raining cats and dogs at the racetrack, so much so that the entire pit area is flooded with water. The water level rose to alarming heights in the pits, which forced the crews to get their trucks away from the water to avoid any damage.
Tricon Garage even shared the visuals of Christian Eckes struggling to make his way off the pits in knee-deep water. Not only that, the extreme climate even took out the power lines, which left all the reporters stranded in the media center. There was no way the Truck race was going back to green as the rain started to come down heavily.
In an official announcement, the North Wilkesboro Speedway stated that today’s Wright Band 250 Truck Series race has been postponed to 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday. Meanwhile, the NASCAR All-Star Heat races have been canceled. This means that Joey Logano, who topped the All-Star qualifying event earlier today, will sit on the pole for the All-Star Race. Brad Keselowski who finished second in the qualifiers will join Logano at the front row.
— North Wilkesboro Speedway (@NWBSpeedway) May 18, 2024
Amid the chaos and the tormenting rains, the Hendrick Motorsports team came up with a wholesome moment. Which just might have saved Stewart-Haas Racing’s race cars from getting seriously damaged.
Hendrick Motorsports crew looking out for their rivals
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None of the team or crew members from SHR were present on the racetrack today. The reason being, that they are all competing in the All-Star and had parked their racecars on the pit road. However, with heavy rains causing the pit road to flood, teams scrambled to get their pieces of equipment and race cars away from the water.
Seeing the SHR could be submerged in the water, the HMS crew quickly got to work and blacked up their race car to a safe area. Rodney Childress, the crew chief for the No. 4 team at SHR, even thanked the HMS crew for helping his team out via X. “A big thanks to @DanielsCliff and the HMS guys for backing up all of the SHR cars so they wouldn’t be in the pond. 🤦🏻♂️” Moreover, the HMS crew even helped seal all the race cars in the presence of the SHR executive, who just stood and watched the Hendrick guys do the work.
A big thanks to @DanielsCliff and the HMS guys for backing up all of the SHR cars so they wouldn’t be in the pond. 🤦🏻♂️ https://t.co/foG6efHHak
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) May 18, 2024
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While the HMS guy’s gesture was really classy, it raises the question of why the SHR teams weren’t present on the racetrack. At least the crew members could have ensured that their rides were secured in such adverse climate conditions.