First NASCAR Chase race halted due to rain (Update)
09/15/13 Another rain delay has hit the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, bringing out the red flag on Lap 110 in Sunday’s first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Matt Kenseth currently holds the lead, followed by Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch in the top five.
The Geico 400 is slated for 267 laps. Cars were called onto pit road, and then covered, when heavy rain moved into the area.
The race began on ESPN, but will move to ESPN2 for coverage tonight, should cars get back on track.
Rain had already delayed the start of the race for nearly 90 minutes, with the green flag not dropping until 3:39 p.m. ET.
No Sprint Cup races have ever been shortened by rain at Chicagoland. The 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup opener was delayed a day by weather with eventual champion Tony Stewart winning the race.
Through 110 laps, rounding out the top 10 are Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer. Among the top-10 drivers, all but Keselowski and Truex Jr. are in the 13-driver Chase field.
The other Chase drivers’ positions: Greg Biffle is 12th, Kevin Harvick is 14th, Carl Edwards is 16th, Ryan Newman is 17th and Kurt Busch is 27th.
Logano, who started on the Coors Light Pole, led the first 32 laps of the race. Johnson has led the most laps (40) and Kenseth has led 28 laps.
Earlier Sunday, NASCAR officials announced rules changes affecting the double-file restart procedure in the pre-race driver’s meeting. The revisions got an early test, in a restart after a competition caution at Lap 30.
Johnson, the race leader at the time, restarted the race when the green flag was displayed to the field. But Kyle Busch got a great jump, outran Johnson's No. 48 to the start/finish line and was credited with leading the 37th lap before Johnson went back in front.