Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will take place at a different time than planned due to the weather forecast.
Videos by FanBuzz
According to a press release from the sanctioning body, the Dollar Tree 301 has moved up one hour to 2 p.m. ET. The green flag will be at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET. USA Network will still provide coverage for the penultimate race of the regular season.
NASCAR said that it worked with USA Network and New Hampshire Motor Speedway "to give fans the best opportunity to enjoy the full race before forecasted weather reaches the area."
NEWS: The start time for the Cup Series race at @NHMS has been moved up to 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Watch live on @NASCARonUSA or listen on @PRNlive and @SiriusXMNASCAR Radio. pic.twitter.com/tXe3YNOifs
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 21, 2026
The weather forecast calls for rather dreary conditions throughout the day. Showers are likely in the early morning hours, as well as after 10 a.m. ET. The track could also have fog in the morning hours.
The chance of rain lowers into the 30% range as the start of the race approaches, but the skies will remain cloudy. The chances of thunderstorms increases to approximately 50% as evening approaches. It increases to 60% at 6 p.m. ET.
The Cup Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway regularly take just over three hours to complete. Last season's race ended at three hours and seven minutes. The race in 2023 took three hours and eight minutes.
The 2024 Cup Series race at New Hampshire stands out. This race took three hours and 48 minutes to complete due to weather and 12 cautions for incidents, including one that extended the race by four laps.
NASCAR considers New Hampshire to be a short track, so teams will have wet weather tires available for the race weekend. They won't be able to race in the pouring rain, but they will be able to race in wet conditions, something that they have done before at this track.
The 2024 race, which Christopher Bell won, featured teams battling with pop-up showers, lightning, and the threat of a tornado. The weather particularly affected the final stage of the race, but NASCAR chose to use the wet tires instead of calling off the action.
"I was probably the biggest skeptic when they said they wanted to run wets at the ovals. I thought they were crazy, and they proved me wrong for sure," said Bell's crew chief, Adam Stevens. "They did a really good job of coming up with a plan methodically of how wet was too wet ... and they figured out once they got the water off the race track that you can run it, and that was probably the best way to dry the track, too.
"So those are all boxes I never thought we would have checked from the way that that whole project started out but kudos to them for for being visionaries in that regard. And Mr. France for pushing the limits. I don't think there was probably a lot of support for that. But as we narrow down what works, it's pretty clear today that it worked."
