Nothing messes with a NASCAR race quite like bad weather. Regardless of how annoying weather delays can be, they can also make some of NASCAR’s wildest moments. There are the wildest weather moments in NASCAR history.
Due to NASCAR not racing in cold weather markets during the winter, snow is rarely seen at a race track. If it does happen, it’s quite a sight, and a snow shower stopped the 2006 Sharpie Mini 300 at Bristol. Snowball fights and snowmen galore across pit road as the flakes fell.
The storm did not last long. The sun eventually came out, and the race track dried out enough to finish the race. Kyle Busch would take home the win that day, passing Greg Biffle with 12 laps to go.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway dealt with high winds when NASCAR came to town in 2016. In the middle of the race, the weather got even more treacherous. A dust storm blew through the track as a caution flag was ending.
Drivers and spotters could see well enough, so NASCAR decided to turn them loose and throw the green flag. While it didn’t delay the race, it’s forever one of NASCAR’s most bizarre visuals.
A literal strike of lightning determined a NASCAR Cup Series race winner. In 2019 at Daytona, Justin Halye decided to stay out under caution as rain was approaching. One lap before the race was supposed to go back green, lightning struck within an 8-mile radius. NASCAR had to put the race under a red flag.
The race never got back going as the rain eventually came. Justin Haley took home his first and only NASCAR Cup Series win as a result.
The 2001 All-Star Race at Charlotte saw a pop-up shower right at the start. As the drivers thundered into turn one, everyone tried to gather control on the wet race track. Unfortunately, a few drivers crashed out.
Under the red flag, NASCAR allowed the teams who wrecked their cars to bring out backup cars. Jeff Gordon took his backup car to Victory Lane that night, much to the chagrin of many of his competitors.
A similar situation happened at Daytona in 2022, but with much bigger implications. A pack of cars slipped in the rain in turn one late in the race. Austin Dillon snuck through to take the lead and eventually the win.
Dillon’s win qualified him for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. This meant Martin Truex Jr. was knocked out of the Playoffs despite being in the top 5 in points. A rainstorm that had Playoff implications.
Weather is one variable NASCAR cannot control. Sometimes, it leads to some crazy moments.
