NASCAR fans set to camp out at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase elimination races will do so without material to make fire.
As first reported by NASCAR.com last week, the state of Alabama is under a state of emergency while in the grasps of a drought.
Of course, the 2016 NASCAR season has been at times plagued by rain, but with a forecast predicted to bring only a 40 percent chance of showers on Friday morning, fans will have to find another way to have fun at night on Talladega Blvd and its surrounding areas.
“We’re not going to allow any open fires,” track chairman Grant Lynch told NASCAR.com last Thursday.
The use of grills for cooking will still be allowed, “but you can’t use it as a heat source (to stay warm),” Grant added.
With the severe drought, campsites will not be permitted to have campfires, fire pits, fireworks, flying lanterns and other similar outdoor activities or items.
The ban is also likely to take a financial crunch on those traditionally selling firewood alongside the roads leading to the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
“It’s just really a tough situation in the fact that our parking lots, our campgrounds, everywhere is just bone dry and crunches under your feet,” Grant said.
“I’ve been here 23 years and we’ve never had to do this. There are fires everywhere in Alabama right now. And it’s depleting the resources. We are doing the thing that is safest for our fans and to protect the folks that are going to be here having to put out any potential issues we have anyway.”
Alabama’s ban on open fires covers 46 counties, including Talladega.
“The current drought condition in our state is posing a serious threat for wildfires,” Gov. Robert Bentley said last Wednesday when the ban went into effect. “The continued lack of rain combined with low relative humidity and strong winds are putting several counties at a very high risk. This declaration is meant to prevent unnecessary burning, reducing the chance of avoidable fires.”
As Florida and North Carolina were hammered from Hurricane Matthew nearly two weeks ago, Talladega Superspeedway and its surrounding areas were unaffected – leaving only five days since Aug. 24 where more than 0.1 inch of rain fell, according to weather officials.
NASCAR faced rain delays at several events this year including Bristol (Aug.), Charlotte (Oct.), Chicagoland (Sept.), Darlington (Sept.), Dover (May and Oct.), Pocono (Jun. and Aug.).
In April’s race at Talladega, rain threatened but never fell in the GEICO 500. Still, the thought of Mother Nature wreaking havoc on the race spiked the intensity of the event producing breathtaking racing and yes, it’s traditional jaw-dropping crashes.
For Saturday’s fred’s 250 and Sunday’s Alabama 500, you won’t need Mother Nature to elevate the intensity – the thought of elimination is enough to produce the same ‘hold your breath’ moments NASCAR nation witnessed six months ago.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
