Atlanta Cup race may not run today (2nd Update)
 |
| Dark clouds on the horizon at AMS |
| Pete McCole/AR1 |
UPDATE Skies are clouding up here at Atlanta Motor Speedway this morning. As of 9:30am, the rain is only a few miles away and is expected to hit the track within the hour.
There has been no official word from track officials or NASCAR regarding a contingency plan in the event the race is rained out for today, as the forecast for Monday is just as bad. Rumors have been making the rounds in the Cup Series garage of the race being held on Tuesday, or, in the worst-case scenario, returning to run the race during the open weekend on March 31.
The issue with running the race on Tuesday is that teams are supposed to be on the road on to head out to next weekend's event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. One option that had been talked about on Saturday was to allow the haulers to leave on Monday to allow teams to load up their equipment for Las Vegas, then returning to the track on Tuesday to retrieve their pit equipment after the race is completed. This idea doesn't have much traction, since in some cases teams would have to leave at least one or perhaps both of their Atlanta race cars behind to be picked up later.
 |
| Atlanta Radar at 9:30 AM |
02/25/18 As expected, it's raining today in Atlanta. It appears it will rain all day today and tomorrow. There is a small window this afternoon when it's only a 35% chance of showers. Will they sneak in a partial race today? We doubt it.
While not a complete soaker there are challenges to get the race started on time and even finished.
Rain will come in as a line then dissipate a little but areas of showers will remain through the afternoon. There might be breaks in the rain but with an estimated track drying time of an hour and a half to two hours, factor in weepers, by the time the track is dry more rain could and should arrive later in the afternoon and evening.
Today's Hourly Forecast
| TIME | DESCRIPTION | TEMP | PRECIP | WIND |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9:15 AM
|
Light Rain | 66° |
85%
|
WSW 13 mph |
|
10:00 AM
|
Rain | 64° |
85%
|
WNW 12 mph |
|
11:00 AM
|
Rain | 62° |
95%
|
NW 10 mph |
|
12:00 PM
|
Rain | 61° |
85%
|
NW 7 mph |
|
1:00 PM
|
Rain | 60° |
80%
|
WNW 5 mph |
|
2:00 PM
|
Showers | 60° |
60%
|
W 5 mph |
|
3:00 PM
|
Showers | 60° |
35%
|
W 4 mph |
|
4:00 PM
|
Few Showers | 61° |
30%
|
W 4 mph |
|
5:00 PM
|
Few Showers | 62° |
35%
|
W 4 mph |
|
6:00 PM
|
Showers | 61° |
40%
|
W 4 mph |
|
7:00 PM
|
Light Rain | 61° |
65%
|
WSW 2 mph |
|
8:00 PM
|
Light Rain | 60° |
65%
|
WNW 2 mph |
|
9:00 PM
|
Light Rain | 60° |
65%
|
WNW 3 mph |
|
10:00 PM
|
Rain | 60° |
70%
|
WNW 3 mph |
|
11:00 PM
|
Rain | 59° |
85%
|
NW 3 mph |
 |
| Weather is nice for Saturday's races at Atlanta…but it won't be the same story on Sunday… |
| Pete McCole/AR1 |
02/24/18
Due to the probability of wet weather in the Hampton, Georgia area in Sunday afternoon's forecast, Atlanta Motor Speedway, in collaboration with NASCAR, will proactively move the start time for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 to 1 p.m.
This moves the drop of the green flag up one hour from the originally scheduled 2 p.m. start time. Driver introductions will begin at 12:20 p.m., and all entry gates will open at 9 a.m., one hour earlier than originally scheduled.
Additionally, the Atlanta Motor Speedway Pre-Race Concert presented by iHeartRadio featuring Chris Janson will begin at 11 a.m., near the start/finish line on the frontstretch.
Kyle Busch will start from the pole, with Ryan Newman on the outside front row.