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NASCAR rainouts result in Memorial Day doubleheader at Charlotte Motor Speedway

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admin May 28, 2023 0 Views

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Bob Pockrass

FOX NASCAR Insider

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR lost its second battle with the weather as rain washed out all track activity for the second consecutive day, pushing the NASCAR Cup Series race from Sunday night to Monday afternoon.

A Memorial Day doubleheader is now set for Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Xfinity Series race at 11 a.m. ET (FS1) and the Cup Series event — the traditional 600-mile marathon — following at 3 p.m. ET (FOX).

FOX Weather predicts temperatures in the 60s with a 40 percent chance of rain, a much-improved forecast after two days of steady rain in cold conditions.

NASCAR hopes to get both races run to completion, but an official race is once the event gets to the end of the second stage or halfway, whichever is earlier. The 200-lap Xfinity race would be official after 90 laps because the first two stages are 45 laps apiece. The 400-lap Cup race would be official after 200 laps if it rains.

The Cup drivers have yet to get on track this weekend, while the Xfinity drivers had practice and qualifying Friday.

William Byron was awarded the pole for the Cup race as the lineup was set by a metric that considers the previous race finish, where the team ranks in owner points and how the driver ranked on the fastest lap list from the previous race.

Kevin Harvick joins Byron on the front row. Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who is running a part-time schedule, will start 37th.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass, and sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass.

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