NASCAR at Talladega live updates: Race postponed to Monday

EDITOR’S NOTE: The race has been suspended until Monday at 3 p.m. (Eastern Time). It will be televised on Fox.

It’s been a while since NASCAR has hit a superspeedway with fans at the track. Although still far from full, the grandstands will have up to 5,000 fans in attendance for the GEICO 500 Cup race at Talladega on Father’s Day.

The race is scheduled for 3 p.m. on FOX, barring rain. As of 2 p.m., the National Weather Service projected showers and thunderstorms near the track in northeast Alabama were likely after 3 p.m. with a 60 percent chance of precipitation.

NASCAR is used to stretching races out for weather, especially following last week’s Cup race at Homestead-Miami, which finished approximately three hours later than expected due to a delayed start and multiple restarts for rain and lightning in the area.

The Observer has you covered with live weather and race updates. For more information about how to watch today’s GEICO 500, click here.

Pre-race

5:10 p.m.: RACE POSTPONED

NASCAR announces today’s race will be postponed to 3 p.m. EST tomorrow (Monday) on FOX due to inclement weather. Screening at the track will open at 10 a.m. CT, per NASCAR.

5:00 p.m.: SECOND LIGHTNING HOLD

NASCAR announces another 30 minute lighting delay as reports of rain emerge around the track. NASCAR says there is light rain in Turns 3 and 4.

4:50 p.m.: DRYING CONTINUES...BUT MORE STORMS NEAR

Rain cells are reported less than 10 miles to the west of Turn 4, and according to FOX Sports, there were lightning strikes spotted in the distance. NASCAR has not yet announced another delay for lightning or rain. If the race is postponed, it will be moved to Monday.

4:31 p.m.: DRYING CONTINUES

No more lighting strikes have been reported and the track drying armada continues to do its thing. Although, at 4:15 p.m., there were strong storms reported 15-20 miles west of the track, according to one track meteorologist.

4:02 p.m.: TRACK DRYING ARMADA DEPLOYED

NASCAR unleashes “an armada” of two track vacs, eight jet dryers, 18 Air Titans and an Elgin Sweeper “to deliver a crushing blow to this particularly sinister liquid menace,” tweets NASCAR communications officer Matt Humphrey. Track drying starts after rain stops, indicating rain has subsided. Best case, track drying would take about 90 minutes, according to FOX Sports. NASCAR will then have a small window to complete the race before rain cells return to the area.

3:38 p.m.: HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS

The National Weather Service of Birmingham, Ala. issues a “Special Weather Statement” on the hazardous conditions near the track around 2 p.m. “Pea size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with these storms,” the weather advisory says.

The warning also says that “torrential rainfall” is also occurring with these storms and could lead to flooding.

In response to comments about an earlier start time to avoid weather delays, NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell tweets that start times are made to maximize viewership.

“No big sporting event in US starts at noon anymore,” O’Donnell tweeted. “Our tv partners ask to start later so more people can watch. Sometimes it rains-that is unfortunate.”

Suited up and ready to race... pic.twitter.com/9VPIxdJdRW

— Matt DiBenedetto (@mattdracing) June 21, 2020

3:24 p.m.: WEATHER WILL FOIL ANOTHER ON-TIME START

Rain, lightning and high winds have all hit the track. The command to fire engines was originally scheduled for 3:13 p.m. and the green flag for 3:24 p.m., but the track is currently wet and barely visible, according to those there.

2:35 p.m.: LIGHTNING HOLD

NASCAR announces that the race is under a lightning hold, which means activities must be paused for at least 30 minutes without lighting before the race is able to resume, or in this case, start.

“We’ll update when we have the all-clear,” NASCAR says.

2:30 p.m.: THE NO. 11 CAR GETS A NEW LOOK

Earlier this morning, Denny Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing team announced on Twitter that the No. 11 Toyota Camry would run a new paint scheme for today’s race to honor the National Civil Rights Museum as part of a mission to “listen and learn.”

“For today’s race, @FedEx has chosen to remove all of their branding and traditional colors,” the JGR team account tweeted with a video of the team’s new, all-black paint scheme that features the museum’s white logo on the hood.

Hamlin said he visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. on Thursday, and that he and his FedEx sponsor wanted to give their traditional advertising space on the car to the museum, formerly the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.

“To say that this was informative, humbling, eye opening is a huge understatement,” Hamlin tweeted.

Hamlin has only raced a handful of events without the traditional FedEx orange and purple wrap on his ride. He is in his 14th season driving the No. 11 Camry that typically features the FedEx logo. The company is sponsoring him for all 36 races this season.

“I encourage anyone who wants to broaden their perspective on African American history to please visit this historic museum,” Hamlin’s message on Twitter ended. “Let’s all come together to make a difference.”

STARTING ORDER FOR NASCAR’S GEICO 500

This story was originally published June 21, 2020 at 2:36 PM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription