Forget about weather worries on Saturday: It will be a beautiful day and night in north central Kentucky. No rain, racetime temperature about 80 and scattered clouds.
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Friday’s opening practice session was under way when storms hit Sparta, Ky., where the track is located. As rain swept through, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued. Practice did not resume. NASCAR then opted to cancel qualifying.
Jimmie Johnson crashed in the rain-shortened opening session and went to a backup car.
“I just got wide and evidently the track is dirty wide,” he said. “I didn’t have anything go wrong, I just got wide and the car just started going straight and it wouldn’t turn. I was in the marbles. I couldn’t see the line where the track was clean and dirty and it just kept going straight and straight and straight and hit the wall.”
Drivers face a series of obstacles this weekend, including a repaved track with altered banking in turns 1 and 2 and a drainage system redesigned to better handle weepers on the track, a different tire and an aero package designed to reduce downforce and side force.
Now, drivers will have to deal with a track that has been swept by rain as well.
Here is the lineup for Saturday night’s race:
