One of the most anticipated weekends of the NASCAR season is finally here. The Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, as well as the ARCA Menards Series, are all in action over the next few days. Craftsman Truck Series teams are on a break this week.
The NASCAR schedule has had good luck with weather so far this season. Everyone is hoping the same can be said about Kansas Speedway this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
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Let’s get into the weather and talk about what it might mean for the weekend ahead. Three series, three races, plus practice and qualifying. Will it happen?
A general view of the start of the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
|
Date |
Race(s), Events |
Weather |
|
4-17-2026 |
ARCA P/Q – 5:00 PM ET |
High of 81 degrees Fahrenheit, low of 43. Thunderstorms expected during late afternoon, early evening, could delay or cancel P/Q for ARCA and NOAPS. |
|
4-18-2026 |
ARCA Tide 150 – 12:44 PM ET |
Temperatures much lower than Friday. High of 58, low of 41. Chance of rain overnight, early in the morning. Sunny during the day. |
|
4-19-2026 |
NCS AdventHealth 400 – 2:00 PM ET |
Sunny, high of 71. Great race weather for another Cup Series classic at Kansas. |
So, at the moment, Friday night looks like it will be a big wash out. A significant storm is coming through the area and it will be difficult to get the practice and qualifying in for ARCA and NOAPS.
While ARCA will just have to deal with it, the O’Reilly Series might find time to at least qualify on Saturday. Some will complain and wonder why NASCAR wanted to have these sessions in the early evening and going into the night. Then again, having a special night practice and qualifying session sounds like fun. It feels like a throwback in many ways.
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Unfortunately for Fox and The CW, things don’t look like they will work out. The O’Reilly Series races at 7:00 PM ET on Saturday, it would have been nice to qualify at a similar time. Again, I see what the vision was, but the weather wasn’t going to cooperate this time.
As for the rest of the weekend, the temperatures are going to drop, but it will be sunny. Sunday for the Cup Series race will be nice and bright with warm weather for the drivers and fans to enjoy. Kansas Speedway has delivered on finishes lately in the Cup Series, and fans are expecting another instant classic on Sunday.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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