When Jet Dryers Are Your Only Entertainment

Fan Commentary by Grandstand Bob

Three of the first four races I attended were rained out. The fourth was rain-shortened. My friends said that I was like that cartoon character who was followed everywhere by a rain cloud. I even once sat in the parking lot at Rockingham watching it rain and remembering the weatherman who said that there was a zero percent chance of rain that day. I told everyone that if they held a race in the Sahara desert, and I had tickets, they could probably grow rice in the infield.

I was such a novice at my very first Winston Cup race at Martinsville that I never even thought about the weather. I even walked through the rain to sit in my seat and drink beer under a tarp for three hours. By the time my cooler was empty, I was cheering for the jet dryer . . . and I wasn’t alone. Incidentally, as much as I love the track, there are few places more miserable for rain delays. You’ll never get that red mud out of your carpet or your clothing, and heaven help the unfortunate race fans who are directed to park in the bottom areas. They’re at the mercy of guys with 4X4’s and chains, who incidentally are known to cheer for jet dryers.

Unfortunately, there is very little that NASCAR can do about rain on racedays. Yeah, there is talk of rain tires on the shorter tracks, but I don’t think that rain tires would be conducive to good racing, and I wonder how safe the pit areas would be. You could put roofs on some tracks, but the costs are prohibitive, and the noise and fumes would also probably be problematic.

Lights are probably the best answer to rain delays, because they extend the race-possible hours. That can turn around and bite you in the ass though, because delays can last into the night before a race is postponed. If there are no lights, NASCAR will call for postponement when they know that they don’t have enough daylight to run at least half of the race.

So, since it’s likely that you’ll encounter rain once in a while, especially if you frequent the tracks I do, what are my rain-related recommendations?

If you are traveling commercially to the race, avoid scheduling return travel on Monday. In the event that the race is rained out, you can almost bet your life that Monday will be a beautiful day for racing. Every Monday race I’ve attended has been blessed with postcard weather. It’s unlikely that you’ll have the advantage of a forecast when you buy your airline tickets, so hedge your bets by keeping the following Monday open.

Watch the forecast, radar and everything. Jayski.com always has multiple Web links for the weather for the race of the week. I start watching these links about five days before the race, though that really has no purpose, except comfort if the forecast is good. If the forecast is bad, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a race will be rained out. It seems like Darlington races are always run under rain forecasts, and they race on Sunday occasionally.

Consider your options. It’s a gamble, but you can opt to stay dry, warm and at home on Sunday. You’ll save yourself the aggravation of parking and traffic, not to mention the mind-numbing monotony of sitting in your car and staring at your steering wheel, before turning around and heading home or to your hotel room. Unfortunately, if there is a break in the weather, it’s unlikely that you’ll make it to the track and get your car parked in time for the green flag. NASCAR fans are traditionally undeterred by adverse effects, such as rain and misguided “security” policies, so a wet parking lot will be just as crowded as a dry parking lot at 9 a.m.

Consider scalpers. A rained-out race isn’t as painful when you don’t have tickets, and if the thing is rained out, you can pick up cheap and good tickets on Monday or even Sunday afternoon, as many people are looking to get at least something out of their investment. I’ve been on both ends of this deal, once selling a $50 ticket for $10, and once buying a $75 ticket for $20. You can probably guess which deal I did with a smile.

Pick your companions wisely and bring something to do. The last thing you want to do is be cooped up in a stuffy car with someone who bitches incessantly or gets on your nerves in some other way. It probably goes without saying, but rain delays will reinforce the importance of picking your race companions wisely. Also, bring along a deck of cards, book, magazines, etc. Most of us are too busy to do all the reading we would like, and rain delays give us an opportunity to catch up.

When races are postponed, Monday is almost like Sunday, except that there are fewer people to help you park or car or to sell you a beer, since many of the track workers have to return to their full-time job on Monday. Don’t assume that anything will be easier or that fewer people will attend.

Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to never experience a rain delay, but don’t count on it. NASCAR hasn’t figured out how to intimidate God – yet!

Grandstand Bob Profile and Past Columns

note: This opinions expressed in this column are those of writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of ARS Racing Outlet or its parent company, amI, Inc.