Duck Commander 500 2016: Race delayed by rain

The Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is delayed due to rain.

For only the second time this year so far, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has been delayed by rain. The Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m. ET, but it didn’t begin then due to some light rain in the area.

The opening ceremonies for the Duck Commander 500 were put on hold until the rain moved out of the area and the blue skies came out. Then, the usual invocation, national anthem, and other rituals went on without a hitch.

Saturday’s race will be able to run under the lights for even longer as the rain caused NASCAR to delay the start of the Duck Commander 500. Rain delays aren’t the best for a sport that relies on it’s fans to provide atmosphere to each week’s race. However, Saturday’s rain delay doesn’t look to be a major one.

Each driver’s routine was affected by the delay. It can cause some issues to the drivers, but the drivers would rather the track be dry like a normal race start so their tires are able to catch the track naturally and they don’t hit any slick spots. NASCAR does a good job with their driers to make sure tracks are safe to race on before the drivers are sent into their cars and a race begins after a delay.

A delay before a race is better than getting a red flag come out mid-race. A mid-race delay affects the drivers more than a pre-race delay. This time around the fans at Texas Motor Speedway won’t leave the track anytime soon as the rain as already started to head out of the area and they will get their money’s worth of racing on Saturday.

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