NASCAR: After short rain delay, YellaWood 500 drivers set to hit the track again

Oct. 4—TALLADEGA — The YellaWood 500 is set to restart after a brief rain delay of less than 30 minutes this afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway.

The rain didn't cover the whole track. It was a small shower that dumped a bit of water on Turn 2, but it needed to be cleaned up all the same.

They've completed 73 of the 198 laps, and Cody Ware in the No. 51 car is the race leader. They must complete 94 laps for this to be an official race.

Chris Buescher won the first stage, followed by Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. This was Buescher's third career stage win, including his second at Talladega.

He won under caution because of a wreck. By Talladega standards, it was a minor wreck, but it took out an important driver: points leader Kyle Larson.

Justin Allgaier, driving the No. 77 car, got turned and slammed into Larson, who hit the wall. Larson's car went to the pit, where his crew was working to repair the damage within the time that NASCAR allows to continue racing.

He is 57 points above the cutoff line as the playoff field is trimmed to eight after next week's race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.