Darlington on Labor Day weekend is traditionally hot and humid. That’s probably the biggest standout over the years and the primary reason why lights were eventually installed there in the early 2000s.
Delay-wise, it hasn’t been too bad in recent years. The last major race delay occurred in 2019, when the start was delayed by four hours due to rain. That year, Erik Jones waltzed into victory lane just after 2 a.m. ET. That is the only time that this race has been delayed by weather since it returned to Labor Day weekend.
Prior to it being moved away from Labor Day weekend, there were some rain issues. For example, the 1992 Mountain Dew Southern 500 was shortened to 298 laps due to rain, and Davey Allison missed out on the Winston Million because one of his crewmembers couldn’t read radar (they pitted him for tires, then the race never restarted).
The 1993 Mountain Dew Southern 500 started late due to rain and was ultimately shortened due to darkness. The 1999 and 2000 Pepsi Southern 500s were rain-shortened as well.
This weekend will likely be cooler than what most fans would be used to for Darlington this time of year.
Friday will likely be the warmest day. Forecast high temperatures will be in the upper 80s with mainly cloudy skies.
Saturday has the highest chance of precipitation (60-80% chance of showers). However, with on-track activity for the day scheduled to be done at 2:30 p.m. ET, they’ll have time to work with if the Truck race runs into issues.
Sunday’s forecast is for partly cloudy skies with a relatively low chance of rain and a high around 82°. This is cooler than normal for Darlington. The temperature will drop through the 70s and into the upper 60s by the time the race ends.
Portland is a little different. The previous races in Portland were held in June, directly opposite the Cup weekend at Gateway. In those races, the 2022 race was held in the rain, while the past two years have been dry.
This weekend is going to be pleasant. For the ARCA Menards Series West race Friday, it’s going to be fairly warm with highs around 90°, but fairly dry.
Saturday is going to be just about perfect. The forecast is for sunny skies with a high around 82° with low winds.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.