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| Nascar Updates-Coke Zero 400 under green, |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — "NASCAR ran six laps of the rescheduled Coke Zero 400 under green before rain interrupted" the race that was already postponed a day at Daytona International Speedway.
"As the rain danced around the track, NASCAR was able to get the race started". But after six laps, NASCAR officials threw the yellow for a light rain and then brought the Sprint Cup Series cars down pit road four laps later. Scattered showers likely will threaten the 160-lap race throughout the day as the National Weather Service predicts a 64 percent chance of rain during the day Sunday with a 35 percent chance Sunday night.
NASCAR and track officials had hoped the early start time — the race went green at 11:21 a.m. ET after a few extra pace laps — would allow them to get the race in before the typical heavy Florida afternoon showers. That didn't happen, but they hope that by having the entire day at their disposal, they can get a window to run the race to completion. NASCAR has all day and much of the night to get in the race, which would be official after the halfway point of 80 laps.
"It seemed like 11 a.m. was the earliest that made sense for the fans but to give us a bigger window of time to get it in tomorrow," DIS president Joie Chitwood said. "You'd hate to wait until noon and have some storms hit right after that."
Race is green ... "NASCAR race director David Hoots told his officials not to gamble with the weather - if they have rain, report it."
Bob Pockrass
David Gilliland was on the pole for the race and Matt Kenseth was leading at the time of the red flag.
The race, the 18th of the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule, is the second race this year postponed because of
rain.
After four hours of rain pelting the track Saturday night, NASCAR was left with no choice but to postpone the race to Sunday morning. While showers in Florida are nothing new during the summer, it was the first rain-related postponement since the Independence Day weekend race moved to night in 1998. That race in 1998 was run in October after wildfires forced the event to be postponed.