No matter how hard NASCAR tries, rain continues to upset its plans. It was raining Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway.
With the annual night race scheduled to go green at 8:18 p.m. ET, at best there will be a hefty amount of drying work to be done.
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UPDATE: Fans were told to clear the stands about 4:45 p.m. ET as a storm rolled through Bristol.
Now come the questions: What does Saturday's rain mean for the track? It will likely wash rubber off the racing surface and could affect the resin applied to its lower 18 inches on Saturday morning. Rain might take away ability to run on a lower groove and affect how drivers handle the 500-lap run.
Bristol dries quickly, proving it all week during pesky showers. And at about a half mile, the track can be quickly covered by drying machines that blow moisture away.
That, however, only adds to the great unknown that this Bristol race has become. Changes since April's daytime race make this a competition in which drivers must adjust on the fly.
Carl Edwards will lead the field to the green flag as fastest qualifier. Teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch start second and third, respectively. Edwards won the spring race. Joey Logano won last year's night race.
Took a road trip to cover the NASCAR Bristol Night Race, where it can stop raining anytime now. Please. pic.twitter.com/bfu6kfLCsl
— Terrin Waack (@terrinvictoria) August 20, 2016
The sun is back out and fans take a stroll around @BMSupdates before the night race. #FurnitureRowRacing #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/F3LWqdQq90
— Furniture Row Racing (@FR78Racing) August 20, 2016
Accuweather.com predicted showers would end ... but return about 7 p.m. ET. That could mean a delay in the race's start.
Worst case? Postponement because of rain likely would force the race to be run on Sunday during daylight hours.