RELATED: Weather updates | Starting lineup
The Coca-Cola 600 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was delayed nearly 100 minutes because of inclement weather in the area around the 1.5-mile track in Concord, North Carolina.
A storm moved over the track after 143 of a scheduled 400 laps, bringing out the red flag when lightning was reported in the area. The race was under caution at the time due to an on-track incident, and then heavy rains swept through, causing a longer delay.
Twelve NASCAR Air Titans and 10 jet driers were on location to dry the track.
At nearly the midway point of Stage 2, Martin Truex Jr. was the leader at the time of the fed. Truex, who led 392 laps and won this event last year, had led a race-high 53 laps. Second at the time of the red flag was Jimmie Johnson, followed by Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth.
RELATED: Kyle Busch wins Stage 1
Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott, two early front-runners, are out of the race due to a wreck on Lap 19.
RELATED: See Keselowski, Elliott clash
This is the 58th annual running of NASCAR’s Memorial Day Weekend classic, but it’s the first time the race will be run in four stages, with breaks coming after Laps 100, 200 and 300 before a run to the finish.