WHY doesn’t the DAYTONA 500 happen if it rains?
There’s a reason...and it’s safety!
So, I’m hearing from many of you that you went to Daytona, it rained, the race was moved to Monday and some could stay, but some of you couldn’t. While it can be inconvenient, it’s much safer for the sport to call the race in the rain, and move it to when it’s completely dry!
Well, there are a couple of big reasons that races in Daytona can only happen if the track is completely dry.
One of the biggest reasons that racing doesn’t happen in the rain is that cars do not have windshield wipers, and the spray that comes from behind the race cars can, and actually HAS caused some pretty bad crashes. You’ll relate; think of when you’re driving on the highway at high speeds and you pass a large car or truck...that spray really inhibits visibility but luckily for us we have wipers to help combat the issues.
Another issue with the cars is that the tires have no tread. There is essentially NO grip to be had on the tires, so when turning in the rain, drivers can lose control very quickly.
If you’re there for the race, enjoy it! If you stayed through the weekend to tailgate, I hope you had a poncho!