Superspeedway braces for hot weekend

Andy Reed, The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.
·3 min read

Jun. 23—NASCAR drivers and teams compete in the full range of temperatures from near freezing to brutally hot — all while wearing firesuits.

The latter will greet the three touring series when they descend upon Nashville Superspeedway this weekend.

Depending on your media outlet of choice, weekend highs are forecasted from the low 90s to 100.

Translation: In any language, it's going to be hot.

But while dealing with the temps — high or low — is part of NASCAR life, it could be an issue for the one-race-per-year fan who turns out for Friday's Rackley Roofing 20 Truck Series race, Saturday's Tennessee Lottery 250 Xfinity Series race and/or Sunday's Ally 400 Cup Series race. Friday's event will go green at 7 p.m. while Saturday's event will start at the hottest time of the day, 2:30 p.m. Sunday's race will probably be just as warm with a 4 p.m. start.

But track officials have plans in place for the thousands of fans who turn out this weekend.

Free water filling stations will be available — four on the upper concourse and two on the lower. Fans can also bring unlimited numbers of sealed bottles of water with no size limitation into the grandstand.

The first 5,000 fans Saturday and 15,000 Sunday will receive free cooling towels which will be available upon entering the admission gates and will be kept in ice baths.

Insulated bottles or containers can be brought to the grandstands and used at the water filling stations. They must be empty upon arrival.

Four misting fans in the FanZone and two more in the concourse will be available, as will shade tents behind the auxiliary grandstands.

Outside food can be brought in in a clear bag or backpack no larger than 18-by-14 inches.

Bottled waters are available at 60 new points of sale around the facility for the same $4 as last year.

NSS does allow fans to exit and re-enter the main gates to retrieve items from vehicles.

"We want all of our fans to stay as safe as possible next week as they enjoy the best of #NASHCAR," NSS president and general manager Erik Moses said in a release. "We encourage everyone to use reasonable precautions like wearing sunscreen and hats and to take advantage of the offerings available during their time with us. Stay hydrated, stay cool and get ready for a great weekend in Nashville!"

Tickets remain available for all three races, starting at $35. Kids 12-under get in free Friday and Saturday and for $10 Sunday with a paying adult. Visit NashvilleSuperspeedway.com or call 866-RACE-TIX for details.

All three races will be televised — Friday on FS1, Saturday on USA and Sunday on NBC. Radio coverage of all three events will be handled by Motor Racing Network, which, in addition to affiliate stations, can be heard via audio stream on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio as well as the NASCAR and TuneIn apps.