NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol underway after long delay

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:46 p.m. ET

foxsports

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) The NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway is back under way Sunday after a 3 1/2-hour delay because of heavy rain.

The water-logged race was delayed Saturday night after just 48 laps. NASCAR officials planned to get going again at 1 p.m., but instead more rain washed over the track and kept the drivers in their motorhomes.

Finally, the call came for racers to return to their cars by 4:20 p.m., the engines were fired up and the drivers began rolling out of pit road a short time later.

Defending series champion Kyle Busch was out front with 48 of 500 laps complete. Chase Elliott was second, followed by Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth. Pole-sitter Carl Edwards slid to seventh.