THE NASCAR community may have its work cut out if the weather forecast for Watkins Glen International this weekend proves accurate, with wet conditions expected to affect processing.
The problem may not necessarily be a slick track, but rather Shane van Gisbergen, who is enlisted for triple duty in the Cup, O’Reilly and Truck Series for the first time in his stock car racing career.
Typically, the meeting in Upstate New York is held in August, at the height of summer; however, because it was brought forward in the schedule, the meeting is now subject to cooler, wetter weather.
For Friday, there is a chance of showers after 2pm local time, with the Craftsman Truck race set for a green flag at 4:30pm.
Saturday’s on-track action, meanwhile, will feature Cup Series qualifying, plus O’Reilly Auto Parts Series qualifying and race.
The National Weather Service predicts that showers are likely throughout the day and into the evening.
Showers are also possible on Sunday, with some weather models placing the most precipitation on Cup Series race day.
Top temperatures are set to range from 13 to 17 degrees Celsius, with minimums as low as 4 degrees Celsius, which would impact track drying efforts.
Van Gisbergen was noted for his wet-weather ability prior to making the NASCAR leap.
His breakthrough win at the Chicago Street Circuit in 2023 came in the wet, while he was running strongly at a sodden Chicago in 2024 when he was comprehensively punted out of the race.
In tricky conditions last year in Mexico City, he prevailed, while this year’s Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium was held in rain and snow, which saw SVG drive to the lead.
The entry lists for this weekend have been released, with the only ringer of note in the Cup Series race being former IndyCar ace Katherine Legge.
In the O’Reilly Series race, SVG will be joined by his Trackhouse Racing teammates Connor Zilisch and Ross Chastain, while the Truck Series race will feature Chastain, Zilisch, AJ Allmendinger and Carson Hocevar.
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