Rain, weepers force postponement of Pocono race

Keelan Harvick plays in a puddle during a rain delay at Pocono Raceway, Sunday July 31, 2016 (Twitter)
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( Pat DeCola/NASCAR Digital Media)
( Pat DeCola/NASCAR Digital Media)

LONG POND, Pa. – For the second time this season, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway has been postponed by rain.

With intermittent rain falling and “weepers” seeping through the asphalt racing surface, the Pennsylvania 400 was rescheduled from Sunday until Monday at 11 a.m. ET. NBC Sports will televise the race.

Pole winner Martin Truex Jr. will lead the field to the green flag in the 21st Sprint Cup race of the season.

Kurt Busch won the rain-delayed Pocono race in June, an event also run on a Monday.

When the race was called at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, track workers were cutting slots in the asphalt to run off water from the weepers, which developed when the ground under the racing surface became saturated.

This is the first time in a single year both races at a track have been postponed until the next day.

Keelan Harvick plays in a puddle during a rain delay at Pocono Raceway, Sunday July 31, 2016 (Twitter)
Keelen Harvick plays in a puddle during a rain delay at Pocono Raceway, Sunday July 31, 2016 (Twitter)
Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. 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.