Second delay after Lap 274 was short
RELATED: Follow live weather updates | Track: 'Every effort to accomplish' race Sunday
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Sunday's Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer at Bristol Motor Speedway is underway again after a red flag for the second time because of bad weather. The red flag came out at 8:07 p.m. ET and after 274 laps had been completed.
The first red flag came after teams had completed 22 laps after the race's start, which was at 2:31 p.m., about 90 minutes later than it was scheduled. But the red flag was displayed on Lap 23 when more rain moved in. Cars were led down pit road then covered up.
The first red-flag delay lasted four hours; the second was just 16 minutes.
The delayed racing is being broadcast on FOX Sports 1.
Carl Edwards, winner of last spring's Bristol race, also won the last race that started one day and finished the next. The Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway started on Feb. 24, 2008 and stopped after Lap 87, and it resumed the next day.
Kevin Harvick led 17 of the 22 completed laps, while polesitter Matt Kenseth led five circuits.
Despite only a brief amount of race action, two teammates made contact with each other that led to some significant damage. The Team Penske duo of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano were involved in a crash on Lap 19. At the time of the red flag, Logano and Keselowski were scored 42nd and 43rd, respectively.
Keselowski started on the front row next to Kenseth. Harvick, the defending series champion, started fourth. A competition caution was scheduled for Lap 50 before the rain delay, but it will now be at Lap 60. Teams may not take Sunoco Green E15 fuel until the competition caution.
The race, No. 8 of 36 points events for the series this season, was scheduled to take the green flag at 1:03 p.m. ET.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), today's weather forecast for the area calls for a 100 percent chance of precipitation with showers and possibly a thunderstorm mainly before 5 p.m.
According to a statement from BMS General Manager Jerry Caldwell, "We will make every effort to accomplish the full day of events on the same day as scheduled, and if needed we'll turn on the lights."
Bristol is one of several facilities that have lights for night races. Its annual August night race is one of the most anticipated events of the season.
Earlier this year, the start of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway was delayed for nearly one hour by rain. That event was eventually run in its entirety with Jimmie Johnson collecting the win.
MORE:
READ: Latest
|
PLAY: Sign up
|
WATCH: Latest
|
FOLLOW LIVE: Get
|
|---|