Rain postpones Cup Series race at Michigan to Monday finish

Sunday‘s NASCAR Cup Series race has been postponed to a Monday finish by rain at Michigan International Speedway.

The FireKeepers Casino 400 is set to resume Monday at 11 a.m. ET, to be broadcast on USA Network, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App.

Two waves of rain showers delayed the start of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 by nearly 2 1/2 hours, and 51 of a scheduled 200 laps were complete when wet weather struck the 2-mile track again.

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Chase Elliott was scored as the race leader, having led four laps in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman and Tyler Reddick completed the top five.

Denny Hamlin started from the pole position, but dropped back when his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota spun off Turn 4 as he ran second in the 38th lap. Hamlin recovered after a slide through the infield grass and was listed as 17th in the 36-car field.

Ryan Blaney led eight laps and earned the Stage 1 win. He pitted during the stage intermission, handing the lead to Elliott. The race did not go back to green-flag conditions in Stage 2, when an approaching shower soaked the track.

Kyle Larson led a race-best 34 laps in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He was scored seventh when the event was scrubbed to a Monday finish.

It’s the second consecutive day that wet weather has disrupted the Michigan schedule. Rain interrupted Cup Series practice and washed out Busch Light Pole qualifying, forcing the starting grid to be set by performance metrics. Rain also caused delays to Saturday‘s Xfinity Series race, which was won by Justin Allgaier in overtime.

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It’s also the second straight year that Michigan’s Cup Series race was forced to finish on Monday. In 2023, rain stopped the race with 74 of 200 laps complete, and Chris Buescher drove the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford to victory a day later.

Ford is striving for its 10th straight Cup Series victory at Michigan. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota are competing for the Michigan Heritage Trophy, awarded to the winning manufacturer each year at the 2-mile track.