“These storms need to stop”; “Could be a very bad deal”: Fans fear fate of Coca-Cola 600 & Indy 500 after worrying weather forecast

NASCAR fans gave their thoughts on the possibility of the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indy 500 being threatened by storms. Both races are scheduled to take place on May 26.

The National Weather Service has predicted a 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is the venue for the Coca-Cola 600. The chances of rain in Indianapolis remain at 60% as well. In addition to that, the temperature could hover somewhere around 70 degrees, with thunderstorms frequenting the day.

Reflecting on the unfavorable weather Max Velocity, a YouTuber specialising in weather forecasts across the USA, posted on X,

"You’ve got to be kidding me…Another outbreak is likely on Sunday."

Several fans reacted to the weather forecasts that could potentially threaten the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indy 500, with one asking for the storms to stop.

"For God’s sake, these storms need to stop," the fan said.

Another fan said that the weekend could be a "bad deal"

"Holiday weekend, that could be a very bad deal," the fan stated.

Here are a few other fan reactions:

"This peak tornado season is going to lead into a massive hurricane season." a NASCAR fan commented.

"Looks like the Indy 500 and Coke 600 will be moved to Monday 😞" another fan added.

"so both races could be screwed by weather" said a fan.

"Not good for @IMS" said another NASCAR fan.

Postponements in the history of the Indy 500

An image from the 2023 edition of the Indy 500

Since 1915, there have been only three complete postponements of the Indy 500 due to rain. The last time bad weather affected the race was in 2007, when the drivers were able to complete only 166 laps. The drivers need to run at least 101 laps in the race for it to be deemed official.

In 1915, the race that was expected to be held on Saturday, May 29, was rescheduled for Monday. The race that was originally scheduled for May 25, 1986, was also postponed to the next day. However, Monday was also washed away by rain and the race was ultimately run and completed on Saturday.

The 1997 running of the race was also pushed to the next day. However, the race was interrupted by rain again and had to be postponed further to the following day. The race was partially postponed in 1967 and 1973.

There have been seven instances where the race was shortened due to rain. These were in 1926, 1950, 1973, 1975, 1976, 2004, and 2007. The race was stopped twice for the first time in 1926, followed by 2004 and 2007.