NASCAR officials delayed an already postponed NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at the Texas Motor Speedway on Monday.
Hazardous Conditions for a Race
Officials attributed the further delay to persistent rain and mist stretching far into Monday afternoon. Conditions on the track, which is located in Fort Worth, were considered too hazardous to continue.
The race will resume Tuesday, October 27 at 12 p.m. Eastern.
Drivers finished 52 of 334 scheduled laps on Sunday of the Autotrader EchoPark 500. But then rain pelted the 1.5-mile track, forcing officials to shut the race down. So they moved it to Monday.
Unfortunately, the weather in Fort Worth was not cooperating with those plans. By Monday evening, drivers had completed 53 laps, according to CBS Sports.
NASCAR rolled out its fleet of Air Titans, plus additional dryers, at multiple points on Monday. But they were no match for the driving rain. By 4:30 p.m., officials didn’t even know when the track might be safe to race on again.
Narrowing Down the Field
The 501-mile race is the second of three in the 8 Round playoff bracket. The races should narrow the racing field down to four drivers. Those four will go up against one another for the Cup Series championship, which will be held November 8 at Phoenix Raceway.
The weather forecast in Fort Worth on Tuesday calls for more rain – although less rain than on Monday.
In the race, driver Martin Truex Jr. failed the pre-race inspection twice, CBS Sports reported. Officials docked him 20 points and confiscated his spoiler.
Championship favorite Kevin Harvick hit the wall, then reported smoke inside his car. He had to pit to change tires, and as a result, he was a lap down.
Thus far in the race, four drivers are above the playoff cutline, according to CBS Sports. They are Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott.
