2014 NASCAR at Bristol Motor Speedway: Racing odds have increased

Good news race fans, it appears that illusive weather window is about to open over Bristol Motor Speedway this afternoon. The question now is how long will this window be open and will any more rain cause problems for NASCAR as it tries to run the Food City 500 this afternoon.

WILL WE RACE TODAY (SUNDAY)? I’ve increased the odds of racing today to near 40 to 45% as dry air works in over Bristol Motor Speedway. By 2 p.m. we could see the rain end and even some sunshine pop out over the track. This should give NASCAR and track officials at Bristol Motor Speedway a good window to get the track dried and possibly get the race started late this afternoon or evening. Unfortunately I still have some weather concerns as we go through the rest of the afternoon and evening.

When the rain ends this afternoon that will not be the end of the rain for today or tonight. In the image above from 1:30 p.m. EDT as dry air is working into eastern Tennessee, there was an area of showers increasing over the central part of the state near Nashville. This area needs to be monitored as it could spread to the east-northeast. If that happens we might be looking at more rain later this afternoon and evening.

Also there is plenty of moisture in the lower levels of the atmosphere and this could keep drizzle around the track when we aren’t seeing rain. While some of the weather conditions are improving there are still other weather factors that will slow drying and possibly work against NASCAR today and tonight.

CAN WE RACE TODAY? It’s possible and I am keeping my odds of racing today at around 40 to 45%. The fan in me hopes I am wrong and we can get not only an official race but a full race in. The meteorologist in me is a little more pessimistic as I watch the radar and look over weather data. This will be an ever changing situation for the rest of the day and into the evening. I will keep you updated on the forecast.

WHAT DOES MONDAY’S FORECAST LOOK LIKE? While Monday has a chance of rain -- and yes even some snow -- for Bristol Motor Speedway, most of this activity is expected in the morning. If NASCAR is forced to postpone the race to Monday, then the scheduled start time for the Food City 500 is noon on Monday. Looking at the forecast the threat of rain decreases going into the afternoon and I feel that this would be the earliest time to get all of the race completed.

Race Schedule: All Times Eastern

SUNDAY:
2 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, chance of rain/drizzle – temp: 46
3 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, chance of rain/drizzle – temp: 47
4 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, chance of rain/drizzle – temp: 47
5 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, chance of rain/drizzle – temp: 46
6 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, Scattered rain and drizzle – temp: 45
7 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, Scattered rain and drizzle – temp: 45
8 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, Scattered rain and drizzle – temp: 44
9 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, Scattered rain and drizzle – temp: 44
10 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Mostly cloudy, Scattered rain and drizzle – temp: 42
MONDAY:
12 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Cloudy, chance of a shower – temp: 42
1 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Cloudy, chance of a shower – temp: 43
2 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Cloudy, chance of a shower – temp: 45
3 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Cloudy to mostly cloudy – temp: 46
4 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Cloudy to mostly cloudy – temp: 45
5 p.m ET
Sprint Cup race – Cloudy to mostly cloudy – temp: 44