The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
62°F
Current Conditions
Overcast clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Sprint Cup race postponed until Sunday

Ap

The day race at Daytona International Speedway ended up at night.

And now the night race will go off during the day.

Steady rain forced NASCAR to postpone the Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Saturday night. It’s the second race at Daytona this year delayed by rain. The season-opening Daytona 500 was stopped for more than six hours because of rain and ended under the lights.

The Coke Zero 400 will start at 8 a.m. (Pacific) today, about 14 hours after officials postponed the event. The forecast calls for more rain today.

• Prior to postponement, NASCAR Chairman Brian France said “robust” discussion will go into setting the 2015 schedule.

A revamped format to the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship this season, coupled with NBC taking over the second half of the television schedule next season, gives NASCAR an opportunity to make scheduling changes.

France also noted multiple weather delays this year at several tracks as a reason for considering tweaks.

Montoya wins first IndyCar pole

In open wheel or a stock car, Juan Pablo Montoya knows how to top the speed chart at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

Driving for Team Penske in his open-wheel return after seven years in NASCAR, the Colombian knocked off Penske teammate Will Power on the final qualifying run.

Montoya had a two-lap average of 223.871 mph for both a track record and his first career IndyCar pole.

Montoya won a Pocono pole in NASCAR in August 2012. He also won 14 open-wheel poles in CART in 1999-2000.

Carlos Munoz joined Montoya and points leader Power on the front row for today’s race. Takuma Sato, Marco Andretti and James Hinchcliffe completed the second row.

Rosberg takes pole position at British GP

Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg claimed pole position for today’s British Grand Prix in Silverstone, England, capitalizing on a critical error of judgment by his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of a rain-hit qualifying session.

The German secured pole by persevering on his final lap in drying conditions as Hamilton – who had the fastest time up to that point – aborted his lap and pulled into the pits, believing that the his time could not be bettered.

Hamilton was shuffled down to a disappointing sixth place on the grid for his home race.