NASCAR: Rain forces changes to Martinsville schedule
By Asher Fair
With rain delaying the start of Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, here is an updated schedule.
After rain caused Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway, the Cook Out 250, to be suspended until Sunday afternoon following an initial rain delay, rain delayed the start of Saturday night’s Cup Series race, the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500, at the same track.
Fox Sports 1 picked up live coverage of this 500-lap race around the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) oval in Ridgeway, Virginia beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, but more than an hour later, track-drying efforts are ongoing and the race has yet to get underway.
However, NASCAR has announced an updated schedule for this race with the intent of running all 500 laps this evening.
Drivers are to report to their cars at 8:45 p.m. ET, with teams having just been told to uncover them. The invocation is scheduled for 8:50 p.m. ET ahead of the command to start engines at 8:58 p.m. ET. The green flag is slated to wave at 9:10 a.m. ET.
Updated timing at @MartinsvilleSwy:
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 11, 2021
- 8:45 Drivers report to cars
- 8:50 Invocation
- 8:58 Command
- 9:10 Estimated #BlueEmu500 green flag
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Five drivers, Trackhouse Racing Team’s Daniel Suarez, Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Spire Motorsports teammates Justin Haley and Corey LaJoie, and Rick Ware Racing’s James Davison, will be sent to the rear of the field ahead of the green flag as a result of pre-race infractions.
Suarez was also docked 10 points in the driver standings, and his #99 team was docked 10 points in the owner standings for a more severe infraction. He will be without crew chief Travis Mack for this race following Mack’s ejection.
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Tune in to Fox Sports 1 now for live coverage of the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 from Martinsville Speedway. Fox Sports 1 is set to broadcast the conclusion of the Cook Out 250 tomorrow afternoon beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.