Rain on race day is a rarity in Long Beach. Good news is that the forecast for Saturday’s ALMS race is clear and sunny.

The problem is that the latest local weather forecasts for Friday show an 80 percent chance of rain beginning this evening and continuing much of the day on Friday.

The ALMS cars are scheduled to be the unofficial track sweepers in an opening practice session that kicks off at 7:15 am local time Friday. They do not return to the track until qualifying begins late Friday afternoon.

A wet circuit means that the oils, fluids, and chemicals typically dripped on city streets by trucks, busses, and passenger cars will come to the surface in the first rains.

Track time is already at a premium here in Long Beach, so the pressure will be on to learn what teams can, even in the wet.

Teams will be reluctant to spend much time on a wet track if the track will be dry later in the day for qualifying and a dry track is expected for the race late Saturday afternoon.

Still, a wet qualifying session on Friday afternoon is a real possibility. If qualifying is rained out, starting positions will be based upon the current point standings.