Will NASCAR Charlotte Race Be Delayed Today After Saturday’s Washout?

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Will rain delay Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte? Get the latest weather forecast, scheduled start time and updates after Saturday's washout.

As of early Sunday morning, the NASCAR Bank of America 400 is still sticking with a 3 p.m. ET start at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but remnants of Hurricane Isaias lingering around the region mean that a delay around the start of the race remains a realistic possibility, based on multiple weather forecasts.

Saturday’s washout already erased practice and qualifying, and Sunday’s wet forecast gives crews a narrow window to dry a saturated 1.5-mile oval before the green flag.

NASCAR canceled all Saturday on-track activity and moved the postponed O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Blue Cross NC 300 to 8 p.m. ET Sunday, following the Cup race, according to NASCAR.com. The Cup lineup was set by the rule book for the fourth time in six Chase races. NASCAR has announced no delay, and the Cup race remains on USA Network for 3 p.m. ET.

The National Weather Service forecast reports that the “chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible,” with heaviest rains wrapping up by 11 a.m.

Forecasters expect up to four inches of rain across Saturday and Sunday, with scattered showers lingering into late Sunday afternoon as the worst of the storm exits, according to WBTV’s Elissia Wilson.

AccuWeather shows thunderstorms hitting the track at about 3 p.m., right around start time for the race, raising the possibility of a lightning delay as well as a wet track. Charlotte has lights, so a push into Sunday night remains possible. Monday’s forecast calls for sunshine, a high near 83 degrees and a 10% chance of rain.

NASCAR’s own official weather forecast calls for at least some rain at start time as well.

Charlotte Motor Speedway Drying Time

Air Titan trucks blast water off the surface, and jet dryers follow with heat. Together, they can ready the track in a little more than 90 minutes once the rain stops.

“As long as the rain stops, we’ll get the cars on the track,” jet dryer operator James Dixon said in 2016, according to WBTV’s David Whisenant.

Working backward from a 3 p.m. green flag, the rain must clear by roughly 1:30 p.m. ET. Any later, and a delayed start becomes the working assumption.

Charlotte does not permit racing on a wet track. NASCAR cannot race on a wet oval under normal Cup procedures, and the Charlotte tire package lists only the standard intermediate setup, according to NASCAR.com.

NASCAR’s September rule change lets teams pick slicks or wet-weather tires after a rain caution at wet-weather oval races, according to RACER.

Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin Face Wet-Track Variables

Kyle Larson starts from the pole, according to RACER’s qualifying coverage. He carries a 40-point Chase lead over Denny Hamlin, according to EssentiallySports’ race preview.

Larson has finished no worse than fifth through five Chase races, winning at World Wide Technology Raceway and Kansas Speedway before a runner-up finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hamlin, who won the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, finished 16th at Las Vegas. Christopher Bell, third in the standings, won the rain-shortened 2024 Coca-Cola 600 and placed eighth or better in four of his last five Charlotte starts. DraftKings lists Larson and Hamlin at +450, Bell at +500 and Chase Briscoe at +550.

With no practice, no team has turned a lap on the Charlotte oval this weekend. A delay would push the Cup start closer to the 8 p.m. ET O’Reilly race, and any damp patches after drying would put every setup to its first real test.

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