NASCAR fails to follow precedent by calling rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 early

While NASCAR's decision to call the race is understandable, the sanctioning body cited high humidity and the possibility of running until 1 or 2 a.m. as reasons for calling the race. The decision breaks NASCAR's previously established precedent of running into the wee hours of the morning in an effort to finish their races. 

In 2015, NASCAR started the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona at 11:42 p.m. ET, with the race finally ending at 2:40 a.m. ET. Despite the extremely late start, NBC still televised the event in its entirety. 

Just one year ago at Charlotte, NASCAR waved the green flag to resume the rain-plagued NASCAR Xfinity Series race late on Memorial Day itself, with the race finishing at 11:27 p.m. ET. 

In 2005, the Coca-Cola 600 ended after 11:00 p.m. ET, with a record-setting 22 caution flags drastically slowing the pace of the event. 

The precedent for NASCAR finishing races late, including in the early hours of the morning, is there. For whatever reason, NASCAR decided to ignore it on Sunday.

The sudden end to the race is made that much more painful by the abundance of storylines that were still yet to play out, most notably Kyle Larson's attempt at the Indy 500-Coke 600 Double. While rain at Indianapolis forced Larson to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600, Larson was set to run the final 151 laps of NASCAR's longest race. 

Ironically, the rain and wind that ultimately ended the race arrived just as Larson landed in a helicopter that brought the driver from Speedway, Ind., to the track in Charlotte.

To add insult to injury, the track seemed to be drying even without the aid of NASCAR's track drying equipment. As FOX went off the air, photos from shortly after NASCAR called the race indicated that Charlotte Motor Speedway likely could've been adequately dried in a timely manner, if NASCAR had opted to try.

Nothing can change the decision made by NASCAR to end the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 early, but fans have a right to be frustrated, especially considering the inconsistency of NASCAR's decision-making.