RELATED: Live radar, weather updates from Pocono
LONG POND, Pa. — Rain has delayed the start of Sunday’s Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Pocono Raceway.
Sunday’s forecast called for a high percentage of rain, potentially heavy at times with possible thunderstorms. To combat the damp conditions, race officials have a total of 20 NASCAR Air Titan dryers and 10 conventional jet dryers on hand at the triangular 2.5-mile track.
But NASCAR officials are also up against periodic fog, which has shrouded the speedway in spurts through the morning and into the afternoon. Two brief, heavy showers drenched the track Sunday morning, but a lingering mist has persisted after each downpour.
Brad Keselowski is on the pole for the race after slipping past Team Penske teammate Joey Logano late in qualifying on Friday. It’s his first Coors Light Pole Award of the season and the 12th of his Sprint Cup career.
Martin Truex Jr., who won last week’s Coca-Cola 600 in dominating fashion at Charlotte, also is the defending winner of this race. Fellow Toyota driver Matt Kenseth won the August race at Pocono in 2015.
Rain also abbreviated Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race and shuffled Friday’s on-track schedule, causing limited practice time for the Cup series. Truex said he was eager to see how the race played out as conditions change.
“I’m interested to see what the tire’s going to do just because of what I felt in the tire test and pretty optimistic about it,” said Truex, one of four drivers who participated in a Goodyear tire test at Pocono in April, “but until we get everybody out there it’s hard to say. I’m good either way. I just hope we get it in sometime Sunday and we’ll see what happens.”
Sunday’s 160-lap, 400-mile race is the 14th of 36 events this season for the Sprint Cup Series.