NASCAR has set a start time for the Cup Series practice ahead of the weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, practice is set to begin at 2 p.m. ET. It will give drivers a chance to familiarize themselves with the track’s offerings ahead of the USA Today 301 on Sunday afternoon.
NASCAR is using different tires and a different tire setup for this race, so they are looking to give teams enough time to adjust. The practice run will also put some rubber down on the track, which could be beneficial if the Xfinity Series Sci Aps 200 race takes place later today.
But weather has played a factor so far.
NASCAR was forced to cancel the Cup Series qualifying due to rain in the area. Officials were unable to get track drying equipment on the track due to steady rain at the venue.
Because there will no longer be a qualifying session, Chase Elliott will take the pole with Ryan Blaney on the front row. Elliott currently leads the Cup Series in the standings, sitting on 591 points.
Blaney, meanwhile, is coming off his first win of the season at Iowa, a home track of sorts for him. He’ll be looking to roll that momentum forward into another positive showing this weekend.
On3’s Jonathan Howard chimes in on weather battle
It is an absolute chess match between NASCAR and Mother Nature at the moment. While we haven’t seen much action on the track this weekend, there is plenty going on behind the scenes.
The Xfinity Series race was moved up. Qualifying for the Cup Series was canceled. But there is a lot that we have yet to see. The good news is that wet-weather tires are an option at New Hampshire.
Truth be told, NASCAR has been lucky when it comes to weather in 2024. There has not been a lot canceled. Things certainly didn’t start out well with the Busch Light Clash being moved an entire day due to historic rainfall in the Los Angeles area.
New Hampshire is a thing all its own, though. Rain has played a factor in each of the last two seasons and this makes it three now. Is this just what we expect at Loudon at this point?
On3’s Jonathan Howard also contributed to this report.
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