Persistent inclement weather in Southern California has forced NASCAR to postpone the Auto Club 500 after 87 of the scheduled 250 laps had been completed around the rain-soaked two-mile Auto Club Speedway.
The second round of the 2008 Sprint Cup Championship was due to get underway at 1pm local time on Sunday but after heavy overnight and early morning rain the 43 cars didn't actually take the green flag until 3:30, where just 21 laps were completed before ‘weeping' seams in the asphalt coupled with a fiery accident for Casey Mears and Sam Hornish Jr brought out another race stoppage.
Another hour was spent trying to dry the track before the cars restarted, now under the glare of the tracks floodlighting system as the afternoon had now turned to evening. Desperately trying not to carry the race over until Monday NASCAR kept the field on-track during another brief shower on lap 40 and seemed intent on at least getting the race to half distance (lap 125) to make it official.
However as the leaders completed lap 81 the heavens opened, instantly soaking the track and forcing NASCAR to throw the red flag for the third time at 6pm local time. But rather than calling it a day and letting the weather-hardened fans go home NASCAR insisted on trying to restart the race and run it to its conclusion on Sunday.
Five hours passed with the circuit undergoing yet more jet drying. NASCAR issued a revised start time of 11pm local time but when that marker came and went it was still apparent that the circuit was some way away from being race ready, giving NASCAR no alternative but to end everyone's misery and officially postpone the remainder of the race until Monday morning.
