Live updates: NASCAR race at Gateway under red flag for lightning in area

Posted by Admin June 4, 2023 Sports

Jun 3, 2023; Madison, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (8) poses for a photo after winning the pole award after practice and qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Puetz

Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

Can Kyle Busch take advantage of his first pole win since 2019? Will Corey LaJoie impress in Chase Elliott’s stead? And is this the weekend when points leader Ross Chastain finally notches his first win of the season?

Charlotte Observer NASCAR reporter Alex Zietlow has been tasked with answering these questions and more as the action at World Wide Technology Raceway unfolds this afternoon. His live updates are posted in the section below. Refresh this page for the latest news. Results will be posted here after the race.

All times are Eastern.

Live updates: NASCAR race at Gateway

Stage 1

Still Lap 6, 4:16 p.m.: Another lightning strike in the area. Another 30 more minutes of delays. We’ll send another update once the lightning clears and drivers get settled back in their cars to race.

Lap 6: Red flag! NASCAR has been made aware of lightning strikes less than eight miles away. Drivers are allowed to get out of their cars. Typical lightning holds last 30 minutes; the race stopped around 3:55 p.m. ET.

Lap 2: Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch battling at the top of the field. Corey LaJoie drops to the back of the pack before Turn 1. And then an early caution! The 45 car driven by Tyler Reddick spins out. Minimal damage. Another note on LaJoie: He will file down pit road since he is last anyway to figure out exactly what went wrong.

Green flag 3:48 p.m.: Let’s gooooo racin’!

3:19 p.m.: One of the biggest story lines heading into Sunday’s race involves the emergence of the Fords. The manufacturer hasn’t had the most consistent year — but a Ryan Blaney win at the Coca-Cola 600, as well as a bunch of other good showings across the field last weekend, has seemed to bring about the sentiment that Ford has “figured some things out.” Ford drivers Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric will all start in the Top 10 today after a good day of qualifying Saturday.

2:45 p.m.: Some prerace timing to be aware of: Invocation: 2:24:20 p.m.; National Anthem: 2:25:10 p.m.; Command: 2:32:10 p.m.; Green Flag: 2:42:00 p.m.

2:35 p.m.: With Kyle Busch starting from the front and Brad Keselowski making his first Cup start in about an hour … does today belong to the sport’s vets? History suggests so. Joey Logano, one of two two-time Cup champions active on the circuit now, won last year at this racetrack. It’s worth noting, too, that 38-year-old driver Grant Enfinger won the Truck Series race on Saturday.

Jun 3, 2023; Madison, Illinois, USA; United States Air Force jets fly over during the National Anthem prior to the Truck Series Toyota 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports Joe Puetz Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports

How to watch NASCAR Cup Series race

Race: Enjoy Illinois 300 Presented by TicketSmarter
Place: World Wide Technology Raceway
Date: Sunday, June 4
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Purse: $7,425,976
TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (240 laps)
Stages: Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 140), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 240)

Starting lineup at World Wide Technology Raceway

Below are qualifying results from Saturday. Gray Gaulding and Erik Jones will start at the rear of the field for unapproved prerace adjustments, per NASCAR.

Position	Driver	Car No.
1	Kyle Busch	8
2	Ryan Blaney	12
3	Denny Hamlin	11
4	Kevin Harvick	4
5	Martin Truex Jr.	19
6	Joey Logano	22
7	William Byron	24
8	Ross Chastain	1
9	Tyler Reddick	45
10	Austin Cindric	2
11	AJ Allmendinger	16
12	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47
13	Daniel Suarez	99
14	Harrison Burton	21
15	Ty Gibbs	54
16	Austin Dillon	3
17	Christopher Bell	20
18	Alex Bowman	48
19	Brad Keselowski	6
20	Bubba Wallace	23
21	Michael McDowell	34
22	Kyle Larson	5
23	Justin Haley	31
24	Aric Almirola	10
25	Chase Briscoe	14
26	Carson Hocevar	7
27	Chris Buescher	17
28	Todd Gilliland	38
29	Ryan Preece	41
30	Corey LaJoie	9
31	Erik Jones	43
32	Noah Gragson	42
33	Ty Dillon	77
34	BJ McLeod	78
35	Gray Gaulding	15
36	JJ Yeley	51

This story was originally published June 4, 2023, 2:35 PM.

Alex Zietlow writes about NASCAR, Charlotte FC and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the APSE, which awarded him with a Top 10 finish in the APSE Long Feature category in its 2022 writing contest. He also earned two Top 10 distinctions in the APSE Beat Writing and Short Feature categories in 2021. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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