As NASCAR returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, rain from Hurricane Isaias is threatening to derail the weekend schedule.
Rain plagued the sorrowful race weekend at Charlotte in May, which occurred immediately after the shocking, tragic death of Kyle Busch on May 21. It’s likely to do so again this weekend as heavy rain from Hurricane Isaias bears down on the southern United States.
While Friday’s forecast for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and a celebration of life for Busch looks promising, the forecast for Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race and Cup Series practice and qualifying looks bleak. So too does the forecast for Sunday’s Cup race, the first fall race on the oval at Charlotte since 2017.
Charlotte forecast looks dreary
Per AccuWeather, there’s a 56 percent chance of rain on Saturday and a whopping 91 percent chance of precipitation on Sunday, as well as a threat of flooding and isolated tornadoes.
There’s a chance Sunday’s race could simply be pushed back to Sunday night — Charlotte does have lights — but if heavy rain persists into the late afternoon and into the evening, a postponement to Monday is more likely. Monday’s forecast is sublime, calling for sunshine, a high of 83 degrees and only a 10 percent chance of rain.
Friday’s Truck Series race is scheduled for a 5 p.m. ET green flag (Fox, NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), while Saturday’s O’Reilly Series race is slated to start at 4 p.m. ET (the CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and Sunday’s Cup race has a scheduled green flag time of 3 p.m. ET (USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).