Friday night’s Cook Out 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race was 89 laps old, and Brandon Jones had just taken the lead from late model ace Josh Berry when rain began pelting Martinsville Speedway.
With persistent storms continuing to drench the .526-mile short track, NASCAR was forced to postpone the completion of the 250-lap event until Sunday at noon ET. FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the broadcasts of the race.
Defending race winner Harrison Burton led the first 52 laps but chose to pit before the finish of 60-lap Stage 1. Noah Gragson claimed the stage win and the Playoff point that goes with it.
By the time NASCAR red-flagged the race after Lap 91, Burton had worked his way back to seventh. Jones held the lead, followed by Berry, Daniel Hemric, Brett Moffitt, Jeb Burton and Ryan Sieg.
The race is scheduled to resume on Sunday with 29 laps left in the second stage.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.