NASCAR At Richmond 2012: Jeff Gordon Takes Final Chase Spot As Clint Bowyer Wins

Walking through the darkness of the Richmond International Raceway garage, Dave Rogers was a lonely man.

Minutes after Kyle Busch had missed NASCAR’s Chase due to a strategical mistake by his crew chief, Rogers was just beginning to come to grips with what had happened.

If you were hoping to tune in at 7:30 p.m. Eastern to see the NASCAR Richmond race on ABC, you might be disappointed.

Heavy rain associated with a cold front sweeping across the East Coast on Saturday evening has delayed the start of the final Sprint Cup Series race before the Chase begins – the Federated Auto Parts 400 – and it’s unclear if the weather will move out in time for NASCAR to race tonight.

Rain showers have arrived at Richmond International Raceway, putting the start of the Federated Auto Parts 400 in a rain delay.

I anticipate the rain to end around 8 p.m., then 60-90 minutes to dry the track puts the start time near 9:30 p.m. EDT. There are light broken rain showers to the west and possibly some drizzle with the front that is moving through. It appears that there could be a window of roughly three hours.

It’s NASCAR race night at Richmond International Raceway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about Saturday’s race for you below.

What time does the race start? Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is tentatively expected to give the command to fire engines tonight at 7:38 p.m. ET. After a few pace laps, drivers are scheduled to take the green flag at 7:44 p.m. However, there’s a good chance of rain in the area around the start time of the race, so it may be delayed or even postponed. Keep checking back here for more information.

It’s not a question of “if” it will rain but a question of “when” and “for how long” for tonight’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway.

The first half of the day will be partly sunny, very warm and humid with afternoon high temperatures expected to reach near 90. A strong cold front will push across Virginia during the day, bringing with it showers and storms. It is expected to arrive in Richmond from 4-8 p.m. with a line of strong storms and showers. This is obviously a problem, because the NASCAR race is scheduled for 7:44 p.m. EDT.

A frustrated Tony Stewart was at a loss to explain why he and his No. 14 team struggled terribly in the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice on Friday, saying he was just as puzzled as everyone else.

“I’d really like to know (why),” he said. “We’re just bad right now.”