Rain postpones Martinsville race

Weather forecasts for Sunday did not look good even before the first car turned a wheel this weekend at NASCAR's shortest venue, but officials were hopeful of getting the race started and run at least to halfway through.

However there was drizzle since Sunday morning and then the rain intensified later. Given the increasing probability of showers through the rest of the afternoon, officials decided to postpone the race until Monday, with the start scheduled at noon US Eastern Time.

Rain had already forced the cancellation of both Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series qualifying on Friday, handing pole position for both events to Kevin Harvick.

The Richard Childress Racing driver will lead the field tomorrow after winning on Saturday in the Truck Series, while six-time Martinsville winner and reigning champion Jimmie Johnson will see the green flag wave from the inside of the second row.

It is expected that NASCAR will schedule a competition caution for the early laps of the race to check tyre wear following today's washout.

The weather forecast for Monday is more promising, although there is still a 30 per cent chance of rain for the scheduled starting time.

The postponement also means that Denny Hamlin will reschedule his knee surgery for Wednesday, which means he will have two days less recovery before the next race at Phoenix.