NASCAR drops red flag at Coca-Cola 600 due to rain in Charlotte

The rain continues to put a damper on the Coca-Cola 600. On Monday, NASCAR dropped the red flag during lap 159 of the Cup Series race because of rain in turns 3 and 4.

Monday’s rescheduled race began at 3 p.m. ET. Originally, the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was set for Sunday night.

Drivers told they can get out of their cars. Rain has lightened up here on pit road.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 29, 2023

NASCAR has had very little luck with the weather at Charlotte this week. Rain impacted both the Coca-Cola 600 and the Alsco Uniforms 300 (Xfinity Series). With inclement weather in the area both Saturday and Sunday, both races got bumped to Monday.

The Alsco Uniforms 300 did get underway at its scheduled time of 11 a.m. ET. However, wet track conditions and light rain forced NASCAR to stop the race on Lap 26. After a brief break, drivers went back out onto the track in an attempt to resume action. Eventually, NASCAR brought out a second red flag.

That’s when NASCAR decided to halt the remainder of the Xfinity Series race until after running the Coca-Cola 600.

The Coca-Cola 600 is revered as one of the toughest tests in NASCAR because of the distance. It’s thought to be a true test of a driver’s endurance. This year, it’s also testing their patience.

What do NASCAR drivers do during a rain delay?

Without question, there are plenty of things to keep NASCAR drivers occupied during a weather delay. Yes, all of them would rather be out on the track racing for the checkered flag, but there are still ways to have some fun when Mother Nature refuses to cooperate.

Austin Cindric and Tyler Reddick made their way to Kevin Harvick’s unoccupied motorhome on Saturday to do some … redecorating. The two drivers toilet papered the inside of the 47-year-old’s rig during the weather delay.

Harvick was serving as part of FOX’s drivers’ only broadcast for the Alsco Uniforms 300, leaving his motorhome unattended. That proved to be a big mistake with Cindric and Reddick around.

Welcome to the team, @KevinHarvick 😜👨‍🎓 https://t.co/jZD6QIh3WY pic.twitter.com/RXZbA1jRCg

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 27, 2023

When Harvick got back to his RV, he probably had quite a mess to clean up. The good news? He should be well stocked on toilet paper for some time.

To be fair, though, it’s somewhat of a payback for Harvick. During Saturday’s broadcast, he admitted to vandalizing the motorhome of NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip during rain delays, as well.

“When we started, it was all about having fun. … We used to toilet paper Darrell Waltrip’s motorhome,” Harvick said. “I used to go in there during these rain delays and eat his food out of his refrigerator. Myself and Matt Yocum, we would usually terrorize DW’s motorhome during any rain delay that we got.”