Yesterday's debut of the 2012/2013 (depending on what sign you read) Chase for the Sprint Cup was delayed twice by rain at Chicagoland Speedway. Eventually, Matt Kenseth rolled into victory lane in the wee hours of Monday morning. For those of you who are new to the sport, or just willfully ignorant, here's some frequently asked questions about what happens when a race is interrupted by the wet stuff:
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| Courtesy ESPN.com, aka That Site Everybody Complains About |
Why CAN'T they race in the rain? --Look at a racing tire--its called a "slick" for a reason. With no grooves to channel away water, racing in anymore more than a light mist would have most of the field slipping and sliding around like it was really hot in there, their arms bothered them, and they were going to itch it.
Why can't they just use rain tires? --Rain tires don't really work well on speedways (as opposed to road courses) because there's less of a place for the water to be channeled when the surface is so high-banked (not to mention the fact that 100% of the tire surface is needed to keep the car "stuck" to the track). Yep, the water has no place good to go--just like Bobby Labonte and Jeff Burton.
Why don't they build a domed/covered track? --This sounds like a good idea until you realize that it would be useless unless it actually does rain. Just imagine it--a bright, sunny day, cool temperatures…and you're stuck inside a noisy racetrack breathing in fumes from David Gilliland's Ford.
Well then, how about a retractable roof? --Retractable roofs are pretty damn expensive. If you're able to find 75,000 people willing to spend $250 to watch Kyle Busch destroy the Nationwide Series, go nuts.