Watkins Glen Weather Forecast: Key Updates for the NASCAR Race Weekend

Friday, May 8

It has been a rainy day leading up to the 11:00 AM Truck Series practice session. The chance of rain peaks at about 50% at that hour. Rain then lingers roughly around 30% for the afternoon, peaking back to 40-50% around 4:00 PM; just shy of the 4:30 Truck Series race.

Bob Pockrass reports that the ARCA series was on track, despite damp conditions. Rain tires are approved for racing, so they will go as long as puddling is not too bad/present.

The good news is that no heavy rain is anticipated on Friday. Any expected precipitation will be minor enough to be with green flags. Delays, if any, are expected to be minor. All series events should take place on Friday, with the Bully Hill Vineyards 176 as the flagship, scheduled for 4:30 PM. Watkins Glen does not have lights, so sunset at 8:15 PM would threaten the end of the race if any delays persisted (unlikely).

Saturday, May 9

The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Cup Series will be at The Glen tomorrow. O'Reilly practice begins at 10:30 AM, with qualifying thereafter. The race will hit the track at 4:00 PM. Meanwhile, the Cup Series will do practice at 1:00 PM with qualifying thereafter.

Showers are expected in the wee hours of the morning at 50-60%, drying up for the late morning hours of O'Reilly practice and qualifying, with rain dipping as low of 20% likely.

In the afternoon, rain returns to 50-60% likely, perhaps affecting Cup Series practice and qualifying. Rain dips back to 20-30% around 4:00 PM race time for the Mission 200 at the Glen.

Dry drying can be time-consuming, depending on the severity of the track's wetness. Expectation favors the lower end of the < 60-minute range, but drying can take up to 2 hours under the expected conditions. Delays could be in store for any sessions on Saturday. Stay tuned Saturday morning for more updates.

Sunday, May 10

Sunday is the most favorable day in terms of rain. Chances are <20% for most of the day. 48 hours ahead of time, rain could peak at 50% around 7-9 AM. That allows plenty of time for the track to be 90-100% dry by the 3:00 PM Go Bowling at the Glen race. The odds of racing on time are set at a rough estimate of 95%. Stay tuned across the weekend for new updates.

Rain Affects Watkins Glen Camping

Historically, Watkins Glen hosted its NASCAR weekend in the Fall. Criticism had been sent to NASCAR regarding the switch to a May race, which nets plenty of rain in New York state.

On X, a post shows tractors pulling campers into the Watkins Glen camping area, leaving huge muddy tracks.

Other Reddit commenters state that the track has issued some refunds to campers. Other report refunds have been denied. Though we are unsure of the camping status, the scene is not pretty, nor will it get any prettier. If camping this weekend, be sure to reach out to your necessary parties at Watkins Glen.

NASCAR already promptly announced that its 2027 race weekend will return to the playoffs in the Fall. The date is yet to be clarified, but for weather reasons, it will likely be on the early end of the playoffs, most likely in September.