BROOKLYN, Mich. -- The NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway has been paused due to rain and will be completed on Monday, Aug. 7, at noon ET. Coverage will take place on USA Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Mother Nature had an impact on how much racing was able to be completed on Sunday. The race was supposed to get underway at 2:30 p.m. ET but rain delayed that by approximately 100 minutes. After 74 laps were completed, a red flag was displayed for rain on lap 75 at approximately 5:27 p.m. ET. A race is official when it reaches halfway (at Michigan that is lap 100) or the end of stage two (at Michigan that is lap 120).
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The action so far has been a mixed bag for the Hendrick Motorsports teams. Two drivers were in the top three at the time of the delay, while another two had seen their days come to an end.
Alex Bowman is currently scored in second in the No. 48 Ally X Detroit Pistons Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He started the race 20th and worked his way into the top 15 around the midway point of the opening 45-lap stage. A call for two-right side tire late in stage one allowed Bowman to work past several drivers that had stayed out for the six-lap sprint to the end of the stage. He finished stage one in seventh to pick up four valuable stage points.
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Staying out under the stage break, Bowman inherited the lead - a position he would occupy for the next 16 laps. He briefly lost the point position to Christopher Bell but got it back on lap 65 when Bell spun. The driver of the No. 48 saw Tyler Reddick pass him for first on the lap 70 restart before the rain came. On the day so far, Bowman has led 19 laps -- the second-most of any driver in the field.
Kyle Larson holds the third position in the running order at the time of the stoppage. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy started the race from 17th and was up to 11th after 15 laps. Having to avoid some contact on pit road saw Larson lose a few spots before the lap 20 restart, but a strategy call from crew chief Cliff Daniels to stay out during the race's second caution (laps 36-39) positioned his driver to earn stage points. Larson finished stage one in sixth.
After pitting for four tires during the stage break, the 2021 Cup Series champion restarted 21st on lap 51 and found himself back in the top five for the lap 70 restart. From there, he was battling Martin Truex Jr., who won stage one, for a spot in the top three.
William Byron started Sunday’s race seventh and spent most of the opening stage around the top 10. On the final lap of the 45-circuit stage, the 25-year-old driver had a big wiggle in the final corner and ended up in the wall. The damage was terminal for the day to the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Byron will finish 35th.
"I just got loose trying to get stage points there," Byron said. "We were dicing it up. We didn’t have the best restart, so we were gaining spots back, but just tried too hard. We’ll just regroup and try to get a good couple of weeks before the playoffs. Just made a mistake – was just trying hard and got loose.
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Chase Elliott started 10th and was running in the top 10 when his right-rear tire went down on lap 35. As a result of that, his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy hit the wall in Turn 2. The damage to the car was too much to continue and Elliott will finish 36th. With three regular-season races left, the 27-year-old is approaching must-win territory to make the playoffs.
"I hate that it happened," Elliott said of the stage one incident. "It was really early in the day to have a tire blow like that. It was really weird."
The resumption of the Michigan race will mark the fourth time this season that a Cup Series event happened on a Monday. The May races at Dover Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway as well as the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway were all rained out on Sunday and run on a Monday.
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Tune in to catch the remainder of the action at the 2-mile track in the Irish Hills on Monday at noon ET on USA Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).