BRISTOL, Tenn. _ After numerous cautions for both weather and the sort of slippery racing it caused, NASCAR has officially postponed the finish of Sunday's Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway until Monday.
The race will resume at 1 p.m. Monday, barring any other rain delays. The race will air on FOX, and the garage will open at 10 a.m.
The forecast heading into the race was bleak, as a storm moving up the East Coast threatened the possibility of any Sunday racing. Instead, NASCAR chose to try to get the race in during pockets of clear weather. If drivers had been able to complete 250 laps of the race, it would have counted as official.
NASCAR red-flagged the race, or paused it, after 204 laps had been completed.
In addition to having to pause and restart the race multiple times, the actual periods on the track were equally hectic. Because of the rain on the track, drivers struggled to control their cars consistently. For example, Ryan Blaney, who led 99 laps Sunday, crashed out of the race before the completion of Stage 1 because he got caught on the wall.
When the race resumes, Kyle Larson will begin first, followed by Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Rain is still likely at Bristol on Monday morning, but should taper off in the afternoon, according to the Weather Underground website.
Last spring's Bristol race, won by Jimmie Johnson, was run entirely on a Monday after another Sunday postponement.
