Lisa03
09-17-2003, 06:36 AM
The possible impact of Hurricane Isabel on the East Coast has forced NASCAR to make the unprecedented move of canceling Friday's qualifying for the Winston Cup and Busch Series at Dover International Speedway.
The MBNA America 400 Winston Cup race and the Stacker 200 Busch race will still be run as scheduled. The Cup race is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, while the Busch race is schedule for 1 p.m. Saturday.
Not since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 has NASCAR canceled any or all of a weekend's schedule so early in the week. That year, the race at New Hampshire International Speedway was moved to the weekend after Thanksgiving.
"After listening to the latest forecast regarding projected weather conditions in Delaware and discussing contingency plans with state officials as well as officials at Dover, we felt it best to cancel on-track activities set for Thursday and Friday," NASCAR President Mike Helton said in a statement.
"Obviously, these schedule adjustments are based on current weather predictions. We will continue to monitor the situation and hopefully no further adjustments will be necessary."
The cancellations mean NASCAR will fill the fields by the rulebook, which puts points leader Matt Kenseth on the pole for Sunday's 400-mile race. That's the second time this year Kenseth will start from the top spot because qualifying was canceled. Kenseth was awarded the pole at New Hampshire in July after time trials were rained out.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start second, followed by Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and June Dover winner Ryan Newman. The rest of the top 10 for Sunday are Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Kurt Busch, Terry Labonte and Michael Waltrip.
For the Busch race, Harvick will start on the pole because his Richard Childress Racing No. 21 team leads the Busch Series points standings. David Green, who leads the drivers' points, will start second, followed by Brian Vickers, Scott Riggs and Ron Hornaday.
Garages open Saturday for both series at 7 a.m. The Busch cars will have a one-hour practice at 8 a.m., followed by a 1-hour, 15-minute practice for the Winston Cup cars at 11:15 a.m.
About 30 minutes after the Stacker 200, the Winston Cup cars will have a one-hour final practice.
Hurricane Isabel was downgraded to a Category 2 storm as her winds dropped to 105 mph, but the National Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch at 5 p.m. Tuesday from the northern Virginia coast to New Jersey -- including the Delaware Bay. That means tropical storm conditions are possible, generally within 36 hours.
Dover International Speedway is less than 30 miles from Delaware Bay.
National Weather Service forecasts predict the storm will come ashore sometime early Thursday and has the potential to tear through Delaware by Friday morning.
The maximum sustained winds, according the NWS's report, were at 105 mph, with higher gusts possible. While Isabel had weakened over the last 24-36 hours, the NWS said fixes from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Air Force Reserve aircraft indicate the weakening trend has ended, and the weather service said an increase in strength is possible before landfall.
The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is much better, with temperatures in the 70s under mostly cloudy skies.
NASCAR also canceled the Busch North Series race that was to be run Friday. It will not be rescheduled
The MBNA America 400 Winston Cup race and the Stacker 200 Busch race will still be run as scheduled. The Cup race is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, while the Busch race is schedule for 1 p.m. Saturday.
Not since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 has NASCAR canceled any or all of a weekend's schedule so early in the week. That year, the race at New Hampshire International Speedway was moved to the weekend after Thanksgiving.
"After listening to the latest forecast regarding projected weather conditions in Delaware and discussing contingency plans with state officials as well as officials at Dover, we felt it best to cancel on-track activities set for Thursday and Friday," NASCAR President Mike Helton said in a statement.
"Obviously, these schedule adjustments are based on current weather predictions. We will continue to monitor the situation and hopefully no further adjustments will be necessary."
The cancellations mean NASCAR will fill the fields by the rulebook, which puts points leader Matt Kenseth on the pole for Sunday's 400-mile race. That's the second time this year Kenseth will start from the top spot because qualifying was canceled. Kenseth was awarded the pole at New Hampshire in July after time trials were rained out.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start second, followed by Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and June Dover winner Ryan Newman. The rest of the top 10 for Sunday are Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Kurt Busch, Terry Labonte and Michael Waltrip.
For the Busch race, Harvick will start on the pole because his Richard Childress Racing No. 21 team leads the Busch Series points standings. David Green, who leads the drivers' points, will start second, followed by Brian Vickers, Scott Riggs and Ron Hornaday.
Garages open Saturday for both series at 7 a.m. The Busch cars will have a one-hour practice at 8 a.m., followed by a 1-hour, 15-minute practice for the Winston Cup cars at 11:15 a.m.
About 30 minutes after the Stacker 200, the Winston Cup cars will have a one-hour final practice.
Hurricane Isabel was downgraded to a Category 2 storm as her winds dropped to 105 mph, but the National Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch at 5 p.m. Tuesday from the northern Virginia coast to New Jersey -- including the Delaware Bay. That means tropical storm conditions are possible, generally within 36 hours.
Dover International Speedway is less than 30 miles from Delaware Bay.
National Weather Service forecasts predict the storm will come ashore sometime early Thursday and has the potential to tear through Delaware by Friday morning.
The maximum sustained winds, according the NWS's report, were at 105 mph, with higher gusts possible. While Isabel had weakened over the last 24-36 hours, the NWS said fixes from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Air Force Reserve aircraft indicate the weakening trend has ended, and the weather service said an increase in strength is possible before landfall.
The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is much better, with temperatures in the 70s under mostly cloudy skies.
NASCAR also canceled the Busch North Series race that was to be run Friday. It will not be rescheduled