NASCAR: Texas race won’t take place as scheduled yet again
By Asher Fair
NASCAR had planned for the Texas round of 8 playoff race to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET today. That won’t happen, although the plan is still to run the race this afternoon/evening.
While it hasn’t yet been pushed back for a fourth day in a row to Thursday, the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 NASCAR Cup Series round of 8 playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway will — yet again — not take place as scheduled.
This race, which was supposed to take place about 14 years — okay, three days — ago, was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday and then from Monday to Tuesday and Tuesday to Wednesday due to rain.
The first 52 laps of this 334-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Fort Worth, Texas were, in fact, contested on Sunday afternoon before the rains came and the red flag flew.
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Last night, things looked promising to get the race underway at 8:30 p.m. ET. Then the mist returned for about the 189th time and the race was moved to 3:00 p.m. ET today.
That 3:00 p.m. ET start time has also been unofficially scrapped, as there is absolutely no chance that the race will get underway at that time given the track conditions. The forecast does, however, look promising in terms of getting the final 282 laps in at some point throughout the rest of today, according to The Weather Channel.
UPDATE: The race is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. ET, with live coverage from NBC Sports Network.
While NASCAR wouldn’t attempt to restart the race without the goal of running the entire 334-lap distance, the halfway mark (167 laps) would be enough for the race to be deemed official.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer is the race leader after 52 laps. For a full restarting lineup, click here, and for a “points as they run” for the eight remaining championship contenders during the red flag, click here. Whenever the race does end up resuming, it is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.
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NASCAR still plans to run Sunday’s Cup Series round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway as planned.