RICHMOND, Va. — Weather disrupted NASCAR’s top series for a second consecutive week when Saturday night’s Sprint Cup Series race was postponed because of persistent rain at Richmond International Raceway.
NASCAR rescheduled the event for Sunday at 1 p.m.
It’s the first time this season the series has been unable to race because of rain, but completing last Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway was a challenge.
Rain caused nearly a 90-minute delay Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the race was stopped for a four-hour rain delay not long after it finally began.
In all, the Bristol event took nearly nine hours to complete from start to finish.
Joey Logano will start from the pole when the Richmond race begins.
Denny Hamlin, who grew up 20 minutes from the speedway in Chesterfield, Va., will start second in his attempt to complete a nearly perfect weekend. Hamlin won the pole for Friday night’s Xfinity Series race and then led all but two laps in winning the race.
The victory, the 100th in the Xfinity Series for manufacturer Toyota, came as Hamlin returned to competition after getting out of his car at Bristol with neck spasms. He said the spasms began around Lap 12, and after receiving treatment during the long rain delay, the decision was made for him not to resume the race.
Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Erik Jones replaced Hamlin in the car.
Following Friday night’s victory, Hamlin said he made the right call not to race anymore at Bristol and look ahead to the Richmond races.
“We knew we had a big week ahead of us coming up here at Richmond, and I needed to be 100 percent for that,” Hamlin said. “I think we made the right decision, and obviously it’s all paying off so far. All the cars I’ve driven here so far this weekend at Richmond in both the Cup and Xfinity Series has been very, very strong.”
Thumbnail image via Amber Searls/USA TODAY Sports Images
