NASCAR moves both races to Sunday as storm nears

Richmond track, drivers, fans, TV and radio crews adjusting their schedules

DAVID POOLE

The Charlotte Observer

Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

• Count 'em, fans | There are 12 in the Chase, not two (or three)
• Cup debut delayed | Rain means no Cup race for Logano, Marlin, Raine
• Cup lineup | How they start Sunday
• Nationwide lineup | How they start at Richmond
• Friday's practice | Jeff Gordon's Chevrolet fastest so far at Richmond
• Slideshow | Images from Richmond

RICHMOND - The Sprint Cup and Nationwide races at Richmond International Raceway this weekend have both been postponed until Sunday because of rain and potential high winds from Tropical Storm Hanna.

Rain arrived at the track after Friday's practices but before qualifying for either race began. Heavy rain was forecast to last throughout the night and well into Saturday, with the potential for damaging winds accompanying the approaching storm.

The Chevy 400 race for Sprint Cup cars is now scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday. The broadcast of that race will move from ABC to ESPN. Because separate tickets have been sold for the Nationwide race, the grandstands will be cleared. Fans will be allowed back in for the Emerson Radio 250 for Nationwide Series cars at 7 p.m. That race will appear on ESPN2.

"We have been in constant touch with the governor's office, Henrico County officials and other local officials," NASCAR vice president for corporate communications Jim Hunter said. "We reached this decision after much discussion and consideration.

"...The emergency officials are telling us that the winds tonight and in the morning could knock down power lines or limbs from trees in the road. We felt like this was the right thing to do."

The starting lineups for both races were set by the NASCAR rulebook.

That puts points leader Kyle Busch on the pole for the Cup race with Carl Edwards alongside him in the front row. Clint Bowyer will start from the pole in the Nationwide race.

"Sometimes there is hope and sometimes there is not," said Doug Fritz, president of Richmond International Raceway. "This is all about doing everything we can. We believe this is the right decision."

NASCAR has run both Cup and Nationwide races on the same day before. It happened most recently in the second weekend of this season when weather pushed both races back to Monday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Even though the rain could stop before the scheduled 8 p.m. Saturday start for the Cup race, Fritz said officials of the track, NASCAR and area governments and agencies believed waiting until Sunday made more sense.

"It's a tough balance," Fritz said. "You can't know 24 hours out what it's going to do. We really pushed to get races in as scheduled, but at some point you have to make a determination that it's not going to happen."

The track will be closed Saturday, although fans camping at the facility will not be asked to leave the grounds. Cars are locked in the team transporters, but the garage opens at 8 a.m. Sunday and teams will be allowed to work on their cars before each race.

Giving the drivers an unexpected day off started them scrambling Friday afternoon. Busch and No. 3 starter Jimmie Johnson said they were trying to change their schedules once the decision was announced.

Busch was thinking about trying to get to a track in Tennessee where a Late Model team he owns was scheduled to race Saturday. Johnson said he was trying to get a ride home. "If not, I guess I will just be lazy and see if any golf carts go floating by - or flying by."

Edwards said he was struggling to find grip on the track during Friday’s midday practice, so he figures Sunday's daytime race could be interesting. Johnson agreed.

"It will have us all searching for grip and trying to find new lines," Johnson said. "It will slow the pace down and that might create more side-by-side racing. It will probably be a better show for the fans."

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