NASCAR at Talladega: Rain postpones YellaWood 500 to Monday

NASCAR postponed its Cup Series playoff race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway after a rain delay. 

Forty cars will now line up for the YellaWood 500 at 1 p.m. ET Monday (NBCSN, TSN3, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The race is the second in the Round of 12.

Rain delayed the 2 p.m. ET start of the race as the track was left damp. Jet driers traced the 2.66-mile oval and raced against showers in the area in Lincoln, Ala. When the rain eased up, drivers had a slight window to enter the track. Once they approached the track, however, the course quickly became drenched again in another burst of rain. 

After the drivers made their way back to pit road, NASCAR postponed the 500-mile event.

Here's all the information from the race ahead of the rain delay. Sporting News will be tracking live updates from the race on Monday. 

MORE: Watch the YellaWood 500 live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

NASCAR at Talladega Superspeedway updates, highlights from YellaWood 500

(All times Eastern)

3:56 p.m.: The race is postponed to Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

NEWS: Today’s race at @TALLADEGA has been postponed due to rain.

Catch the action Monday at 1 PM ET on NBCSN. pic.twitter.com/wCgu2zi14c

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 3, 2021

3:50 p.m.: Shortly after the drivers leave pit road, the rain picks up and dampens the track. The drivers head back to pit road and await the jet driers to clear the track. 

3:40 p.m.: All cars are fired up and rolling around the track ahead of the green flag. 

3:30 p.m.: Drivers strap in ahead of command that is expected at 3:37 p.m. 

3:20 p.m.: Quin Houff, Joey Gase and David Starr drop to the rear.

3:03 p.m.: The cars finally exit the garage and head for pit road. NBC says the race will start in about 30 minutes.

Update: Cars are being pushed onto pit road, with the expectation of giving the command in about 30 minutes.#NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/suAWvGo0dJ

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 3, 2021

2:10 p.m.: Jet driers attempt to dry the track following a drizzle. The race is under a rain delay, follow for weather updates. 

NASCAR start time today

• Time (ET): 2 p.m.
• TV channel: NBC
• Live stream: NBCSports.com, NBC Sports App, fuboTV

The green flag for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series playoff race on Talladega Superspeedway's 2.66-mile oval was scheduled to drop at 2:03 p.m. ET.

Potential showers were the biggest weather concern on Sunday. The National Weather Service's forecast for Lincoln, Ala. showed a chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 p.m., with a high near 79. There was a chance the race would encounter a rain delay. The race was scheduled to begin in the afternoon and end around sunset Eastern time.

NASCAR Cup playoff standings

Kyle Larson leads the playoff standings entering the second Round of 12 race. On the other end are the drivers below the cut line: William Byron, Kevin Harvick, Alex Bowman and Christopher Bell. Byron trails eighth-place driver Brad Keselowski by only four points.

A playoff driver who wins a race in the Round of 12 automatically advances to the next round.

x-Clinched berth in Round of 8.

NASCAR starting lineup at Talladega Speedway

Here is the complete NASCAR starting lineup for Sunday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, the YellaWood 500.