From FoxNews.com….
While road course events can carry on in wet weather, races on ovals are often delayed from hours to days when the skies open up, due to concerns about safety in the high-speed turns.
TV and travel schedules are affected at major costs to those involved and fans pay the price, too. ESPN reported that tracks see a 10 percent drop in attendance the next race after a delayed one as a result of the negative experience.
To help address it, NASCAR held a test at Martinsville Speedway last week to see if its cars could use rain tires on the smaller ovals and the results were positive.
Trying out new things. 💪
Take a lap at @MartinsvilleSwy with @KyleLarsonRacin as he tests a new wet weather tire. pic.twitter.com/Naq11JxlWE
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 1, 2021
Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher put in a few laps on a dampened track using slicks, the road course wet-weather tires and several custom tires with different rubber compounds and grooves carved into them. Larson said it was a good experience, overall.
