INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on NASCAR’s two races at Indianapolis on Monday (all times local):
Noon
Jamie McMurray may be headed into the final Brickyard 400 of his career with Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray won the race in 2010.
Ganassi says he’s offered McMurray a contract to drive the Daytona 500 next season, then move into a leadership role with the organization similar to the one Dario Franchitti holds. Ganassi says McMurray has not decided if he will stay with the team or seek a full-time driving job elsewhere.
The contract confirms the No. 1 Chevrolet will be open at the end of this season, but Ganassi declined to comment on signing free agent Kurt Busch.
McMurray has won the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the All-Star race and the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race driving for Ganassi.
McMurray went into the race 21st in the standings and must win the Brickyard to earn a spot in the playoffs.
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11 a.m.
Three cautions have slowed the first stage of Monday’s rain-delayed Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis.
The first was a scheduled competition caution after 10 laps. The second was a brief yellow after Brandon Tower hit the wall in the second turn.
But the third was a multi-car crash that began when Ty Dillon spun in a three-wide pack behind the leaders. Elliott Sadler hit Dillon’s No. 3 car and both went hard into the third turn wall. Four other cars also were damaged.
Sadler started his final Indy race fourth in points.
The cleanup left the field with a first stage, one-lap shootout that John Hunter Nemechek barely won as the cars went four wide.
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10:20 a.m.
Following two solid days of rain, the first of two NASCAR races is underway in Indianapolis.
The Xfinity Series race started shortly after 10 a.m. local time in Indianapolis with temperatures in the high 50s.
That’s still better than this weekend when rain washed out both the Xfinity race originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday’s Brickyard 400.
Inclement weather also canceled practice and qualifying for both series, meaning all drivers were scheduled to be driving around the historic 2.5-mile for the first and only time this week Monday.
The Brickyard 400 was scheduled to begin Monday afternoon. It is the final regular season race on this season’s schedule and the starting grid was determined by points.
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