Thunderstorms and lightning forced officials to stop Saturday night’s NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway for two hours, 16 minutes before resuming.
The SpongeBob Squarepants 400 was under caution for a single-car spin by rookie Jeb Burton when heavy rain began falling. NASCAR stopped the race on Lap 98 of 267 scheduled laps. Because the race had not reach halfway, it was not considered official and had to be restarted.
Martin Truex Jr. was leading at the time of the red flag. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch were second and third, respectively, and Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five. Pole-sitter Joey Logano, who led 29 laps early, is 16th following a pit road penalty for too many crewmembers over the wall.
Rain has been a continual issue for NASCAR in recent weeks. Multiple delays, including a four-hour stoppage, slowed the April 19 race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Heavy rain the following week at Richmond International Raceway moved the Toyota Owners 400 from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon.
