BRISTOL, Tenn. – Over the past decade, race fan Rich Barnhill has braved it all at the Bristol Motor Speedway – at least as far as camping weather goes.
Scorching summer heat. Sheets of rain. Even spring snow.
So the mere idea of intermittent showers doesn’t at all bother Barnhill, who motored into Bristol on Wednesday from Canton, Ga., where he tracks parts for an automobile manufacturer.
“We knew there was going to be a possibility ... of rain,” he said.
That possibility turned into a drenching downpour Wednesday afternoon, just before Barnhill and his adult son Dach arrived at the Red Barn Campground on White Top Road, which is in sight of the speedway.
Then, as they pitched their tent, thick, dark clouds swarmed in again.
So far, though, there’s been no sight of Noah’s ark on NASCAR’s fastest half mile.
The same weather pattern has arrived over and again this week. First, dark clouds roll in, eventually unleashing torrential rains. Minutes later, the sun reemerges and saps up the water in swirling mists of humidity. Before anything comes close to drying out, another round of dark clouds races in for a repeat showing.
Yet rain or shine, there’s still the Sharpie 500 on the horizon. And that is all the race fans camping within sight of the speedway seemed to care about Wednesday.
Let it rain, they said, – at least up until the big race starts Saturday evening.
News Channel 11 meteorologist Mark Reynolds said that just might be what they get, with the menacing weather departing just in time for the night race. Showers are expected to play hide and seek from today until noon Saturday, he said.
On the plus side, temperatures should stay below 80.
“It should be a comfortable weekend,” Reynolds said.
Wednesday’s super-duper dose of downpours canceled the qualifier for the Whelen Mod UNOH Perfect Storm 150. The race was not affected, though drivers had to qualify on their season points standing.
If a race, such as the Sharpie 500, is delayed by rain, then it will be rescheduled for the next available day, speedway spokesman Wes Ramey said.
All prayers are for clear skies come race time. Other than that, the clouds can drift anywhere.
Camper Randy Jones, a Food Lion employee from Raleigh, N.C., stretched out on his lawn chair for some sleep following Wednesday’s noon downpour.
“When it rains and stuff, I just pull my chair out there and let it rain on me,” he said. “There’s nothing better than a good shower.”
As for Barnhill, the veteran on Bristol speedway camping weather, there was only one danger to overcome.
“We won’t go in that tent until there’s no humidity,” Rich Barnhill said, and laughed.
mowens@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2549
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement