BRISTOL, Tenn. – After a delay before the start and two red flags for rain, the Bass Pro Shops/NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway has been postponed to Sunday after just 48 of 500 laps.
The race coverage will resume at 1 p.m. ET on CNBC.
Lightning in the Bristol area forced a 50 minute delay before the race could officially get underway, but once it did the racing was hot and heavy early on.
Polesitter Carl Edwards led the field to the green flag to start the race Saturday night, but immediately lost the lead in turn three of the opening lap to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin led until lap nine, when Elliott rolled the bottom lane to take the lead away for Hendrick Motorsports. Elliott paced the way until the 23rd circuit, when five-time Bristol winner Busch stormed to the front of the field and held the top spot until the first weather caution of the night was called at lap 31 after a heavy weather cell moved into the area.
At that point, it was Busch leading rookies Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, and seven more circuits were run under reduced pace before cars were called down pit road and parked by officials at 9:19 p.m. local time.
A one hour, 24 minute rain delay followed before the red flag was withdrawn and the caution flag reissued, with teams running 10 more laps under the yellow flag and preparing to go back to green before a deluge dropped from the night sky and drenched the half-mile concrete oval.
NASCAR made one more effort to dry the race track,
When the race resumes, Busch, Elliott, Blaney, Hamlin and Matt Kenseth will be the top five. Two-time defending race winner Joey Logano is ninth in the rundown.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
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