NASCAR: Race Weekend Weather Forecast

Saturday night, the NASCAR Nationwide Series is at Iowa Speedway just outside of Des Moines for the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250.  This is going to be the closest call for the weekend, and those planning to attend the race should keep a close eye on the weather.  Low pressure will develop over the High Plains and move east across Nebraska and into Iowa Saturday afternoon and evening.  We are likely to see thunderstorms break out across parts of Nebraska and Kansas in the afternoon, and the question will be how quickly they spread into Iowa Saturday evening.  There is a chance they could reach the speedway as early as 7pm CT, right at the scheduled start of the race, but it appears more likely that they will hold off until around 10pm or later.  If it does, we should be able to get the race in, as last year’s race lasted about two hours with four cautions.

The main concern here is that the storms, whenever they do hit, may be severe with strong, gusty winds.  This storm system may produce tornadoes over parts of Kansas and Nebraska, but the storms will most likely transition from single storm cells to a more solid line of thunderstorms as they push into Iowa, which should reduce the tornado threat there.  While I think the severe weather threat will be mostly to the west of the track, fans and competitors should stay aware of the situation in case these storms sneak into the area.  And even if they move in after the checkered flag has fallen, they could have an impact on people trying to leave the track or staying an extra night in the campgrounds.

That brings us to Sunday and the forecast for the Party in the Poconos 400 Sprint Cup Series race.  We’ve often seen isolated showers pop up during races at Pocono and have an impact, sometimes just in one corner of the track, but just enough to bring the cars onto pit road.  There is some small concern that this could be the case on Sunday, but fortunately there are no organized weather systems that could really put a damper on the race.  I can’t rule out a pop-up shower or thunderstorm, but I think chances are high that we’ll get the race in even with a delay, and there’s still a decent chance it goes on without a hitch.  It’s just going to be one of those keep an eye on the radar kind of race days.

As for temperatures, we’re looking good… It will be cool in the morning with lows in the middle 50s, but we’ll warm into the upper 60s by the time the green flag drops and add a couple degrees to that during the race.  Winds will be light out of the south and we’ll see partly to mostly cloudy skies.  Any storms that do form should not be severe, but could contain lightning, so keep an eye on the skies and have a plan in place to take shelter if needed.

It’s a busy weekend of racing and watching the weather!  I’ve got blisters on me fingers!  We have a few obstacles to get around, but getting all the races in without any weather issues is a real possibility for all you optimists out there.  I’ve got a 1000 mile drive ahead of me in the next couple days as we load up the family truckster and head to Florida for vacation, and I may be taking a tour of Daytona International Speedway with the wife and kids on Sunday during the race… so for live updates on the radar this weekend, give my friend @RaceWeather a follow on twitter and he’ll keep you informed.  Otherwise, enjoy all the racing action over the next few days!