Rain, seeping water turn Cup race into marathon

UPDATE #2 A water crisis in California usually means there's too little of it. On Sunday at Auto Club Speedway, the opposite was true.

Just about everything liquid-related that could go wrong, did in the Auto Club 500, but it wasn't from lack of trying. The race started three hours late because of heavy overnight and morning showers, and even then was delayed when Michael Waltrip's car began spewing oil during the parade lap.

Then water — standing and falling — played a key role in a pair of red flags before the race reached the 100-lap mark.

After two accidents in the first 21 laps, both appearing to be the results of water seeping up through cracks in the track surface, NASCAR officials stopped the race and spent 67 minutes working to resolve the issue.

However, the dew point and humidity worked against efforts to make the track suitable to continue the race — and in the end, or 2 a.m. ET, officials were forced to concede, at least for now. The race will resume at 10 a.m. PT on FOX. The NASCAR Nationwide Series Stater Bros. 300. will run approximately one hour following the conclusion of the Auto Club 500 on ESPN2.

The Auto Club 500 was red-flagged after 87 laps due to inclement weather. Efforts to dry the track were halted at 11 p.m. PT. The race will resume with Lap 88.

02/24/08 A red flag has halted the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 again, for rain falling at the Auto Club Speedway.

Jeff Gordon led 19 laps up until a red flag was thrown at lap 21 for an incident involving Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Sam Hornish Jr. and Reed Sorenson. The crash started in Turn 2 when Mears lost control and then clipped Earnhardt Jr. Mears came to a rest on his side after Hornish collided with the back of his No. 5 Chevrolet.

02/24/08 The rain has stopped and the jet dryers are out to prepare the Auto Club Speedway for today's running of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500. The race was originally scheduled to start at 4 p.m. (ET).