NASCAR’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Sprint Cup race, originally scheduled for Saturday in Richmond, Virginia, has been postponed until Sunday due to rain from Tropical Storm Hanna.
The decision came after the Nationwide Series race scheduled for Friday was rained out and moved to Sunday evening.
“We just felt this was the right thing to do,” NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said, adding that the decision was made after consultations with emergency officials in the area who warned that besides heavy rain, the storm was expected to bring high wind on Saturday.
“Tomorrow’s going to be a tough day,” track president Doug Fritz said, based on the forecasts. “Sometimes there’s hope and sometimes there’s not. This is one of those moving targets. ... We’re still looking for two days of great racing, all crammed into one now.”
The postponements are particularly bad news for rookie sensation Joey Logano, who was scheduled to make his debut in NASCAR’s premier series driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Because qualifying was washed out, he didn’t get a chance to make the field.
“I can’t change the weather, so I just go with it,” said Logano, who will replace the departing Tony Stewart in Gibbs’ No. 20 next season.
When the busy Sunday commences, the pole will belong to series leader Kyle Busch, who has eight wins this year. Carl Edwards, second with six wins, joins Busch on the front row.
“I’m kind of glad NASCAR did it this way so that we aren’t just waiting around for it to dry out,” Edwards said. “We know when we’re racing and I think that’ll be cool.”
“I can’t recall another incident where we went out this far,” Hunter said. “Our position is usually to do everything in our power to get the events in as scheduled. But I think there were some mitigating circumstances with this, particularly when you get to the amount of high winds that are forecast for here, as well as the rain that’s forecast for here.
The postponement left drivers wondering what to do on the sudden day off. Some were looking for a flight back to their homes around metro Charlotte. Sprint Cup points leader Kyle Busch was thinking about heading to the quarter-mile track in Newport, Tenn., where his Late Model team is scheduled to compete. “I’ve got a backup car in the trailer,” Busch said. “We might roll it out.”
Jimmie Johnson, who is third in points behind Busch and Edwards, added with a smile: “I’ll try to find a ride home if I can. If not, I guess I’ll sit around in my motorhome and be lazy and watch golf carts float by or fly by during the night.”
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