There is no history of the NASCAR Cup or NASCAR Xfinity Series racing at Worldwide Technology Raceway at Gateway at this particular time of year. The past three years for Cup at Gateway have been the first weekend of June.
Weather for those races have generally been quite warm. Cup races haven’t been affected by rain, but last year’s Truck race was delayed for hours due to rain. It cost the series a chance to race on FOX because it took so long for the rain to stop. Trust me, it was a deluge.
None of the three Cup races have experienced rain, but the 2023 race was red-flagged for 100 minutes due to lightning in the opening laps. There was a little thunderstorm about three miles from the track that was generating lightning strikes and everyone had to take cover because of it.
Unfortunately, that storm may have been responsible for another issue. There was a power outage at the track due to a blown transformer that knocked out FS1’s broadcast off the air, knocked out the internet at the track (for teams and media) and more.
The electrical infrastructure at Gateway is not the best. That was the third time during a race that a power failure had occurred.
Previously, a Truck race was postponed a day due to a power failure that knocked out the lights. Another truck race had a mid-race electronic timing and scoring failure.
For this weekend, conditions are going to be just about perfect on Saturday and Sunday. Friday is the only day with precipitation in the forecast. There is a 40% chance of rain with otherwise mostly cloudy skies and a high around 73°.
Saturday will have partly cloudy skies with a high of 77°. There will be a breeze as well. Since the Xfinity race will be at night, temperatures will be dropping through the 60s during the race. Bring a light jacket or sweater.
Sunday will have sunny skies with a high of 76°. Humidity will be low.
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.