How to Prevent Lengthy Rain Delays and Postponements
HAMPTON, GA -- We’ve seen too much of this lately.
I’m talking about rain postponing the start of Sunday’s Sprint Cup Advocare 500 to Tuesday morning (11 a.m. EST, ESPN).
Rain already postponed a race at Watkins Glen and delayed many more. The rain bug has bit other series too in 2011 with the Nationwide and Truck Series also experiencing heavy delays.
A lot of fans were quick to blame NASCAR and the Speedway for postponing the race until Tuesday. They wondered why teams couldn’t be on standby on Monday - Labor Day with so many ticket holders off of work that day. It’s a fair question but blame shouldn’t be placed on either NASCAR or AMS.
The forecast doesn’t look pretty on Monday with the chance of rain pushing 100% all day Monday and lasting until late-morning on Tuesday. So blame Mother Nature if you must villainize something, especially considering the generally clear conditions at my hotel in nearby Jonesboro.
But that’s not why I’m here.
A new acquaintance recently talked to me about being a part of the problem or being a part of the solution. The old idiom applies perfectly with this scenario with everyone coming up with ideas to help expedite the rain delay process with some of the better ideas being discussed below.
Read about them after the jump.
Shaun Burke of OnPitRoad.com and I discussed a preventive measure in the media center on Sunday, climaxing with his suggesting of starting night races with heavy rain threats much earlier in the day rather than trying to drop the green flag only half an hour sooner. His point was pretty valid with mostly clear conditions hovering over Atlanta from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Shaun surmised that the complete 500 could have been run twice during that span if NASCAR had just announced at the beginning of the season that start times may be adjusted if the threat of weather warrants it.
I agreed with the concept but wondered how much of a role that the TV contracts played in such a decision. ESPN, TNT and FOX currently pay millions of dollars to negotiate start times. Such a decision would completely negate the value of that contract and would risk too many fans missing a race, be it on TV or in the stands.
The second suggestion was offered by Darrell Waltrip on Twitter, suggesting, "One thing I think #Nascar could do is install tarps in the safer barrier that would roll out like they do a baseball diamond, cover the track."
It’s a pretty ambitious concept but no more so than the SAFER barrier project and track lighting systems. And the benefits would be immeasurable.
The tarps wouldn’t have to cover the whole track but rather the turns and corners, the most dangerous part of a wet race track. Watch the first lap of the 2001 Winston if you don’t understand why.
With the corners relatively dry, safety crews and jet driers could focus on the straightaways, drastically cutting rain delays by hours. That’s also a win for TV partners, who are able to keep viewers from changing the channel with the knowledge that the race could resume (or start in Atlanta’s case) within the hour.
Waltrip might be onto something here. But what say you? Are Shaun and Waltrip innovators or do you have a better idea?
Discuss.
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