When NASCAR fans woke up on Saturday morning, they initially expressed excitement about the Pocono Organics 325. Their emotions quickly changed to disappointment and anger, however, due to heavy rainfall at Pocono Speedway. NASCAR had to delay the first race of the doubleheader weekend.
As the scheduled start time approached, several videos showed rain pouring down on an empty track. However, the weather began to change with less than one hour remaining. The sun peeked out as the crews began to dry the track. NASCAR continued drying the track while keeping an eye on the weather radars. The start time of 3:30 p.m. ET came and went while drivers continued to wait for a new estimated start time.
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According to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, there was initial concern about postponing the race until Monday afternoon. NASCAR couldn’t postpone the Pocono Organics 325 until Sunday due to another Cup Series race already taking up that spot on the schedule. NASCAR had also scheduled an Xfinity Series race earlier on Sunday, which created another conflict in the schedule. The fans wanted to hold both Pocono Cup Series races on Sunday afternoon as one massive race, but this was not possible.
Prior to the Cup Series delay, NASCAR officials also postponed another anticipated event. They moved the Gander Truck Series Pocono Organics 150 from Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET to Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET. Drivers such as Jesse Iwuji had to leave the track and adjust their plans for the rest of the weekend instead of getting behind the wheel of their trucks to provide assistance for Farm Aid.
The rain has caused several issues during the 2020 season, starting with the Daytona 500 in February. The season-opening race started on a Sunday but ended on a Monday due to heavy rain in Florida. Similarly, the Coca-Cola 600 in May started 90 minutes late and didn’t end until well after midnight. The Toyota 500 also started late due to weather while June 15’s Dixie Vodka 400 stopped after only five laps due to the lightning around Miami.
The Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway was the latest race to deal with weather-related issues. The iconic event moved from Sunday to Monday due to lightning storms in Alabama. Another delay occurred near the end of Stage 1 of the postponed race. The red flag came out on lap 58 due to rain at one end of the track. The race ultimately resumed while fans commented about a troubling trend.
