NASCAR changes Michigan schedule again due to bad weather

NASCAR will not resume the Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. The remainder of the race has been postponed to Monday afternoon.

Bad weather was always going to be a factor at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. With that in mind, NASCAR decided to move up the start time of the FireKeepers Casino 400 Cup Series race by 19 minutes to give themselves an additional window to try to get the race in before sundown.

Unfortunately, those efforts to move the start time up were all for naught, as the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.0-mile (3.219-kilometer) Brooklyn, Michigan oval didn’t end up getting underway until after 4:00 p.m. ET.

In order for a Cup Series race to be deemed official, it must reach the earlier of the end of stage two or the halfway point. With stage two set to end after lap 120, 100 laps of the race needed to be completed on Sunday in order to avoid a postponement.

Just 73 of 200 laps had been completed by the time the yellow and then the red flag flew again due to inclement weather.

Shortly thereafter, NASCAR decided to postpone the race.

Given the fact that sundown at the track is at 8:49 p.m. ET and Michigan International Speedway doesn’t have lights, the forecast for the remainder of the evening left NASCAR with no choice.

The remainder of the event has postponed to 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday afternoon. USA Network is still set to provide live coverage for the fifth straight week. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick is the race leader on lap 74.

While several races have seen their schedules altered in some way due to bad weather this season, the FireKeepers Casino 400 is the first to be started on a Sunday, stopped, and rescheduled to a future date.

Unfortunately, things don’t look promising in terms of getting the race in on Monday afternoon either. There is a 59% chance of showers throughout the day, according to The Weather Channel. There is just a 12% chance of rain on Tuesday.

Tune in to USA Network at 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, August 7 for the live broadcast of the remainder of the FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway. If you have not yet begun a free trial of FuboTV, do so now!