NASCAR at Pocono 2016 Postponed Due to Weather, Updated Schedule Announced

Rainy weather in Pennsylvania forced NASCAR to postpone Sunday's event at Pocono Raceway.

Per ESPN's Bob Pockrass, the race was rescheduled for 11 a.m. ET Monday.

Pockrass reported NASCAR postponed the race because the first and third turns were "lost" due to vast amounts of water on the track and added it would "have to start over" before even considering beginning the competition.

Pockrass also tweeted the AccuWeather forecast at Pocono Raceway on Monday calls for a "5 percent chance of rain at 11 a.m. [...] 50 percent at 2 p.m. and rising through afternoon."

Martin Truex Jr. will be on the pole for the race after breezing through Friday's qualifying with a speed of 179.244 mph. Carl Edwards, Paul Menard, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman round out the top five.

The big story for the race was Jeff Gordon making his second consecutive appearance. He'll start in the 24th position and drive the No. 88 car as Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to recover from a concussion.

Sunday was a mess for the Pennsylvania 400 and NASCAR, but there was no point in trying to force the drivers onto an unsafe track with the weather not showing any signs of breaking. The postponed start should allow the track time to dry, as NASCAR workers can help speed the process.

It will also allow drivers additional time to prepare for the conditions, assuming the track isn't 100 percent dry by the time things kick off Monday. Adaptability will likely help determine who walks away with a victory seven weeks before the Chase begins.