No NASCAR. No problem.

That was the attitude of some racing fans as yesterday's drenching rains and postponed races left them with a lot of free time.

Race officials announced Friday that the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, originally scheduled for yesterday, and the Emerson Radio 250, initially set for Friday, will be held today at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

NASCAR fans were making the best of it as they waited out the delays.

"We've been coming down for 12 years, and this is only the third time we have gotten rained out," said John Tobin of Martinsburg, W.Va. Tobin's party of about 12 was scattered among several campers parked in a yard on Richmond-Henrico Turnpike. Rain was coming down steadily as they sat outside under tents.

Their plans: "Sit around, drink beer and watch it rain," said Forrest Reynolds of Strasburg.

But with several kids in the group, the activities kicked up a notch. Tripp Tobin fashioned a water slide by placing blue plastic tarps on the lot's sloped front lawn. He shook some soap bubbles on the tarp, and the sliding began.

"We're race fans. We are not going home until we see a NASCAR race," John Tobin said. "We love this sport. Rain or shine."

It was Dunja Conrad's third NASCAR event. She was taking the rain in stride, as well.

"We've been through worse," said Conrad, who lives in Germantown, Md. "I'm a bit worried when the wind is supposed to come through." She was traveling with boyfriend Eric Chesser and their friends Larry Burris and Andy Valentini.

"One is taking a nap. He drank too much last night," Conrad said. She improvised a little to clean up after breakfast, using rain that created a steady stream at the edge of the tent she was under to rinse out some things.

"I have plenty of food. It's not very often it's just me and the guys. I've been doing a lot of cooking," she said. She planned to fix soft-shell crabs for lunch.

There was a little grousing from some fans, including those who thought Friday night's race was called off too soon and who wondered why NASCAR officials didn't provide substitute entertainment on the raceway grounds.

"They should have opened up one of the pavilions, not that we are complaining," said Darlene Prevish, who said she would have liked to have had a concert or something else to go to yesterday. "We will still see a race."

Cook and eat. Eat and drink. That's all that was on tap for Richard and Mickey Peabody of Wanchese, N.C., and friend Larry Farlay as they sat under a tent.

"I was up here when they had a hurricane," said Richard Peabody, not fazed at all by the rain. "We may play cards."

Mickey Peabody agreed with others and said it would have been nice if there were other organized events. The couple attended the recent NASCAR race in Bristol, Tenn. The town welcomed fans with a parade, a concert and other events downtown, she said.

Chuck and Liz Johnson of Chesapeake were planning to spend part of the afternoon at a mall. The Richmond area's two newest ones, Short Pump Town Center and Stony Point Fashion Park, are outdoors malls, so they were at the bottom of the list. "We may go to a movie," Liz Johnson said.

But not everyone was able to wait out the rain, she said. They had said goodbye earlier in the day to an entourage of about 12 people from Connecticut who had to leave.

"A lot of people aren't close enough that they can stick around," said Sharyn Lynch, also from Chesapeake.

Said Chuck Johnson: "Rain or shine, I am going to be here if they have to run it Wednesday."