David Reutimann was the big winner in NASCAR's losing battle against Mother Nature as Monday's rain-shortened 24 Hours of the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup race at Lowe's Motor Speedway was eventually called off.

Nearly 25 hours after the 50th edition of the race was supposed to start, and with menacing storm cells dotting the radar, NASCAR called the event after 227 of a scheduled 400 laps. That made a first-time winner of Reutimann, who parlayed a strategic call by crew chief Rodney Childers into an unlikely victory.

The win, in NASCAR's longest race which was postponed from Sunday because of rain, was the first for Michael Waltrip Racing - now in its third season of Cup competition - and the first for a Toyota team other than Joe Gibbs Racing. Reutimann led five laps, all under the final caution, having run 14th when rain started falling on lap 221.

The top three finishers - Reutimann, polesitter Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon - remained on the track when NASCAR threw the sixth caution of the race after a shower hit turn two and, six laps later, the race was red-flagged for the fourth time. Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers, who each took two tyres under yellow on lap 222, finished fourth and fifth.

“It certainly wasn't the prettiest win,” said Reutimann, who won with his father, renowned short-track racer Buzzie Reutimann, in attendance. “Rodney Childers made a great call and told me to stay out.

“When you envision winning your first Sprint Cup race, this is not exactly the way you envision it. But these things are so hard to win, we'll take it any way we can get it. It's fun, but I felt like I was down on pit-road for a month [waiting for NASCAR to call the race].”

Reutimann gained two positions to 13th in the Cup standings, and now trails twelfth-placed Mark Martin by six points in the race for a Chase spot as an already successful season took a major upward step.

“Obviously, their crew chief made an awesome call,” an elated Michael Waltrip said of the #00 Toyota team's effort, “David and I have been in position to win races before, and fate took it away from us, so I look at this as payback.”

Kyle Busch led a race-high 173 laps, but was victimised by rain for the second straight NASCAR event. On Saturday night, he had the dominant car in the rain-shortened Carquest Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race, which Mike Bliss won by conserving fuel and staying out until a storm hit the speedway.