As the first stage of the 1000Bulbs.com 500 came to an exciting end Sunday, the rain began to fall.
The rain kept coming, the end-of-stage caution turned into a red flag, and — with no lights at Talladega Superspeedway — the race was postponed until 2 p.m. Monday.
William Byron will be at the front of the pack when the green flag comes back out Monday, after he held off Joey Logano to win Stage 1. Alex Bowman was in third, Brad Keselowski was in fifth and Kyle Larson in sixth.
William Byron held them all off to win Stage 1 at Talladega, presented by @Kroger #ClickList! pic.twitter.com/sjDX5GD90S
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 13, 2019
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Chase Elliott had the pole Sunday but was quickly passed and fell back to 18th at the end of the first stage, depriving him of much-needed stage points after engine problems ended his race at Dover in the first 10 laps.
Ryan Blaney needed good fortune to get into 10th at the end of the stage. He was running in the lead in the earlygoing but then spun out as he sped into pit lane. He likely would've fallen off the lead lap, if not for a well-timed caution flag on Spencer Boyd.
Sporting News had live race updates and highlights from the 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. The running order they will restart in at 2 p.m. Monday can also be found below.
1000Bulbs.com 500: Monday restart top-20 running order
| Finish | Driver | Team (Car No.) | Laps Led |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports (24) | 6 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing (22) | 1 |
| 3 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports (88) | 0 |
| 4 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Mustang Racing (17) | 0 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing (2) | 11 |
| 6 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Raching (42) | 0 |
| 7 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports (48) | 0 |
| 8 | Daniel Suarez | Stewart-Haas Racing (41) | 0 |
| 9 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing (1) | 12 |
| 10 | Ryan Blaney | Penske Racing (12) | 15 |
| 11 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing (95) | 0 |
| 12 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing (4) | 0 |
| 13 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing (14) | 0 |
| 14 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing (11) | 0 |
| 15 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing (18) | 2 |
| 16 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing (8) | 1 |
| 17 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports (38) | 0 |
| 18 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports (9) | 3 |
| 19 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing (6) | 3 |
| 20 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing (10) | 1 |
1000Bulbs.com 500 live updates, highlights
4:31 p.m.: POSTPONED. The race will resume Monday at 2 p.m.
3:34 p.m.: I hope everybody is enjoying their Sunday.
Rain now for the next 15-25 min (per @RaceWeather ) and then the next rain is like 40-60 min out roughly 45 miles or less out #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/9QPFmOqb9d
— Brian Neudorff (@NASCAR_WXMAN) October 13, 2019
3:21 p.m.: Still under red flag.
Today a NASCAR race sponsored by a light bulb company might get postponed because the track doesn't have lights
— Tadd Haislop (@TaddHaislop) October 13, 2019
3:05 p.m.: RED FLAG. Some rain coming down.
2:57 p.m.: Jones has had a rough go of it in recent races.
Issues for @erik_jones !
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 13, 2019
He backs out of the pack and we stay green! Stage 1 is winding down on NBC! pic.twitter.com/uNa3hPUzcd
2:53 p.m.: William Byron wins Stage 1, just ahead of a push from Joey Logano. Alex Bowman is in third, Keselowski in fifth and Larson is in sixth. Blaney finishes 10th.
2:40 p.m.: Paul Menard will be replaced by Matt Crafton due to neck issues.
2:33 p.m.: CAUTION. Spencer Boyd is stopped on the race track. Blaney should be able to stay on the lead lap with that gift.
2:33 p.m.: Adding insult to injury, Blaney was speeding on the entry.
2:31 p.m.: Blaney, from the lead, goes to pit but spins out into the grass. He avoids a caution by getting going quickly but obviously loses quite a bit of time.
Ryan @Blaney SPINS entering pit road!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 13, 2019
Watch @TalladegaSuperS on @NBC . #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/kmyPLuTCkJ
2:22 p.m.: Lead changes are coming early and often. Ryan Blaney is currently at the front, but both Buschs, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski each have been, as well.
2:09 p.m.: Kyle Busch has the lead early.
2:06 p.m.: Denny Hamlin has gained 32 spots already. He started in the back due to an engine change.
2:03 p.m.: Green flag!