LONG POND, Pa. – A persistent drizzle and threatening weather forced NASCAR and Pocono Raceway to postpone the Axalta “We paint Winners” 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race until noon ET on Monday when sunshine is forecast. FS1 will broadcast the race.
Light, misting rain thwarted track-drying efforts, and the race, scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start on Sunday, was postponed at 2 p.m. ET.
When the 14th Sprint Cup race of the season gets the green flag on Monday, Brad Keselowski will lead the field to the start/finish line, with Team Penske teammate Joey Logano beside him. Keselowski is a two-time winner this season. Logano, who led the series with six victories last year, is seeking his first win of 2016.
Racing in his final Sprint Cup season, Tony Stewart turned in his best qualifying effort at an open-motor track this year and will start sixth in the Axalta 400. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, who joined their owner/driver in the top 10, will take the green from fourth and ninth on the grid, respectively.
Harvick, the 2014 champion, and Busch are first and second in the series standings at the midpoint of the 26-race regular season.
All four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers also made the final round of knockout qualifying on Friday and will start third (Matt Kenseth), fifth (Carl Edwards), 10th (Denny Hamlin) and 12th (Kyle Busch). Each of the JGR drivers has at least one victory this season, all but guaranteeing entry into the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which will determine the series champion.
Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, the top two drivers in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, will start side-by-side in 13th and 14th, respectively
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