Could Kyle Larson MISS The Double?
What’s Happening? This week is one of the most hotly anticipated on the racing calendar every year, and it’s a…
This weekend is one of the most hotly anticipated weekends on the motorsports calendar with the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the Coca-Cola 600 happening on the same day. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Indy and Charlotte looks questionable at best, putting Kyle Larson’s “Double” attempt into question. If it rains, what will happen in Indy and Charlotte?
What’s Happening? This week is one of the most hotly anticipated on the racing calendar every year, and it’s a…
According to the National Weather Service, Indianapolis’s forecast calls for showers and potentially thunderstorms all afternoon on Sunday. The chance goes up around 2 PM local time, and the race is slated to start at 12:45 PM.
Max Velocity WX on social media also looked at the forecast for severe weather. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is within the light purple area, with a likelihood of between 45-60%.
The forecast can and will change as the week goes on. However, it has looked about the same all week.
Like NASCAR, IndyCar does not use rain tires on superspeedways, including Indianapolis. IndyCar does have track drying equipment similar to NASCAR. According to the IndyStar, track drying can take between 90 minutes and 3 hours depending on sunlight and humidity while the track dries.
The race takes 2.5-3 hours, and Larson needs about an hour or two to fly to Indianapolis. Therefore, everything needs to fit within that 4-5 hour window between 12:45 and 6:00 PM. If there is any rain about when the Indianapolis 500 is supposed to start, or during the race, Larson needs to make a tough decision.
Sunset is at 9:03 PM local time, so there is plenty of time to get the race in. However, if the race is postponed, it will be rescheduled to Monday. Larson could return and finish the race on Monday if the Coca-Cola 600 goes off without a hitch. Only if…
What’s Happening? Most NASCAR teams are ready for a home race this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the annual…
There is a 30-50% chance of rain each day this weekend for the Coca-Cola 600. The track does not have rain tires, but it does have lights.
The Truck and Xfinity Series races are scheduled for Friday night and Saturday afternoon, respectively, and if both races are postponed, they will probably be rescheduled for the next day. The Truck Series could happen on Saturday morning or even Saturday night in primetime after Cup Series practice and qualifying. With the Cup Series race scheduled for 6 PM on Sunday night, the Xfinity Series could easily run during the early afternoon on Sunday if rain delays it.
Regarding Larson, the Coca-Cola 600 being delayed before the race starts could help his Indy 500 effort if there is rain in Indianapolis. It would give him more time to finish up at Indy. However, if it’s postponed along with Indianapolis, Larson will have to see how the final schedule falls.
In 2023, the Coca-Cola 600 happened in the late afternoon. If both races are postponed, the Indianapolis 500 needs to be run early in the day.
However, based on the forecast, the Coca-Cola 600 will unlikely get postponed outright. It might be delayed, and NASCAR doesn’t have a very big window with the race being 600 miles long. However, with the low rain chance, it seems unlikely that it’ll get washed out entirely.
If it does rain, NASCAR probably wants to start the race no later than 8 or 9 PM ET to ensure the race is done before it gets too late.
Forecasts can change, and it’s uncertain how exactly things will play out on Sunday. However, Kyle Larson will be in wait-and-see mode depending on how it all plays out.
