The final race in the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 takes place this weekend at the Charlotte roval, but what is the latest weather forecast? Can cars run in the rain if need be?
Latest Charlotte roval weather forecast
Sunday’s race on the 17-turn Charlotte roval will be the fourth time NASCAR has raced on the configuration.
It was introduced in 2018 to bring more variety to the calendar following years of NASCAR being addicted to 1.5-mile intermediate ovals.
The race forms the final event in the Round of 12 of the Playoffs.
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Post-race those drivers ranked ninth-12th in points will be eliminated.
The top eight will go through to the semi-finals, which start at Texas next weekend.
Current forecasts for Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday are for a bright, cloudy afternoon.
Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-20 degree region, with some wind in the area.
Chance of rain, at the time of writing, is predicted to be 10% or less.
Denny Hamlin will start on the pole, and is the only one of the 12 Playoff drivers to be locked into the Round of 8.
The only way the other 11 can be assured of a spot in the semi-finals is with a win.
The green flag is scheduled to drop at 2:30pm ET on Sunday.
Can NASCAR run in the rain?
As per NASCAR’s attempts to create a better spectacle, it has been experimenting in running in the rain.
It will not do so on ovals or superspeedways, but tests, and indeed races have taken place in the rain over the last year.
Wet weather tyre tests have taken place at Martinsville.
In the Charlotte roval XFinity race in 2020, drivers competed in monsoon-like conditions.
History was also made a day later in the Cup race.
For the first time since 1956, a race was held in the wet.
It was also the first time in NASCAR’s 72 years of a race starting on wet tyres.
Earlier in 2021, NASCAR raced in abysmal conditions at the Circuit of the Americas.
The conditions were so bad that, if the race had been a Formula One event, it would have been stopped.
However, due to NASCAR’s inexperience when running in the rain, it was allowed to continue.
It was part of the learning process, with NASCAR now knowing when it is safe to race in the rain and when it is not.
