NASCAR: Bristol night race gets new start time due to weather

Mother Nature has thrown a wrench into NASCAR’s Bristol plans, and both the Friday and Saturday night races will now start earlier.

If all goes according to plan, we’re all going to get our recommended allotment of swapping sheet metal under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway a bit earlier on Friday and Saturday night — as long as NASCAR is guessing right about the rain.

With precipitation possible on both days, NASCAR announced Friday that both the XFINITY Series Food City 300 and Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race will start earlier than originally planned. The idea is to get both races in before it starts raining.

The new start times are as follows:

• Friday, Aug. 17 – Food City 300, 7:28 p.m., NBCSN
• Saturday, Aug. 18 – Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, 6:30 p.m., NBCSN

Alas, it seems like the effort might only help the XFINITY Series race. The current Weather Channel forecast is for scattered thunderstorms in the Bristol area around 10:00 p.m. Friday night, which should mean the Food City 300 is okay. Saturday is much dicier, with heavy chances for thunderstorms from 4:00 a.m. on, though at night the hour by hour chances dip to 40 percent.

The Bristol night race is typically free from weather concerns. The Cup Series race hasn’t been delayed or postponed in the 21st century, though the 2016 edition did start on Saturday night and finish on Sunday afternoon due to precipitation.

It’s likely that NASCAR would move the race to Sunday afternoon if it rains all day and night on Saturday, which will be a bummer since it wouldn’t be under the lights but better for logistical purposes than having the race on Sunday night. Here’s hoping the rain just holds off altogether tonight and tomorrow and both series get their events in.