All three national NASCAR series are in action this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, the home weekend faces a concerning weather forecast.
Videos by FanBuzz
The current forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms throughout the race weekend culminating in the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600.
Friday, May 22, Weather: According to WeatherUnderground, Friday will feature cloudy skies in the morning with scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. The forecast calls for a 41% chance of rain throughout the day, especially in the afternoon and evening.
This poses a problem for the Craftsman Truck Series teams. They will practice at 3:30 p.m. ET (FS2) before qualifying. They will then race, weather permitting, at 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1).
Saturday, May 23, Weather: The weather outlook does not improve once the actual weekend begins. WeatherUnderground calls for rain showers early on Saturday morning, cloudy skies in the mid-morning, and then scattered thunderstorms throughout the afternoon and evening.
The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series teams are scheduled to practice at 11 a.m. ET (CW app), but that will depend on if NASCAR is able to dry the track in time. The Cup Series teams are set to practice at 1:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video), approximately the same time that the chance of rain increases to 45%.
The current start time for Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race is 5 p.m. ET (CW). WeatherUnderground calls for scattered thunderstorms and a 52% chance of rain at that time.
Sunday, May 24, Weather: The Coca-Cola 600 is the only currently scheduled for Sunday. This 600-mile event is the longest on the NASCAR schedule, and it starts in the evening (6 p.m. ET on Prime) so that it can end deep into the night.
The forecast calls for cloudy skies throughout the morning and early afternoon. However, it also calls for rain showers and scattered thunderstorms from 5 p.m. ET until at least 10 p.m. ET.
If the weather does not change, NASCAR teams and fans could be in for a repeat of the 2023 season. Rain forced NASCAR to postpone the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race from Saturday until Monday and the Cup Series race from Sunday until Monday.
The 2023 Coca-Cola 600 started in the afternoon on Memorial Day. It ended just before 9 p.m. ET on May 29, 2023. The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race then took place immediately after due to the altered schedule. Justin Allgaier won what turned into a fuel mileage race, which ended just before 11:30 p.m. ET.
