NASCAR at Texas weather update: Red flag waved with rain, lightning around track

David Suggs

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NASCAR at Texas weather update: Red flag waved with rain, lightning around track image

A wild NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway was red-flagged during Stage 2 because of weather.

Rain and lightning hit near the track, forcing race officials to stop the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500.

It had already been a chaotic day at the track, Playoff drivers Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott were knocked out of the race because of a wreck and a mechanical issue, respectively. Elliott's car caught fire.

MORE: Follow the NASCAR playoff race from Texas live

In Stage 2, Cody Ware's No. 51 car rammed into the wall in between Turns 3 and 4, barreled down the middle of the track at high speed and eventually hit a wall on pit road mere feet away from an opening that could have posed a risk to pit crew members working nearby.

Ware was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the infield care center by ambulance. The wreck spotlighted drivers' issues with NASCAR's Next Gen cars.

Here are the latest weather updates from Texas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR at Texas weather updates

(All times Eastern)

7:28 p.m.: Looks like the race will restart at 7:34 p.m. ET.

7:07 p.m.: Rain doesn't seem to be an issue anymore. Just a question of whether the lightning will keep on striking. Once that's clear, we should be good to go.

7:05 p.m.: Another lightning strike, per Bob Pockrass. That's another 30-minute delay.

6:55 p.m.: The red flag is waved. Looks like we're headed for a 30-minute delay, at the least.

6:40 p.m.: The race restart for Stage 3 has been waved off. Seems like the weather is beginning to cause a problem on the track.

6:35 p.m.: Radar isn't looking too kind.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.