After a full day of hot, dry conditions Friday, the clouds are arriving, temperatures have dropped and a light mist is starting to fall as the ALMS cars prepare to make their installation laps for today’s Northeast Grand Prix.

Teams are closely monitoring the various weather sites and determining what set-up changes, if any, to make before the start.

Teams can raise the car’s ride height, soften suspension settings, and add a bit more downforce to improve wet performance, but each will compromise a car’s dry track performance. Changes after the race start are time consuming and will cost track position.

As a result, most teams will likely stay close to their dry set-ups and simply change to wet tires if the situation merits.

If the track is fully wet, the race director can call for a “wet start” and require all cars to start the race on wet tires. Teams are then free to pit as early as the first lap to change to dry tires.

The most challenging situation is a changing track, and that may well be the case here at Lime Rock Park today. The last time we saw wet weather at Lime Rock was in Friday practice in 2010 – Highcroft Racing’s Simon Pagenaud is pictured above in the wet.

Wet or dry, the two-hour 45 minute race starts at 3:05pm Eastern time.