Rain muddies dirt-covered Bristol amid rules confusion

By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — NASCAR’s second attempt at running a Cup race on dirt turned into a wet and muddy mystery when rain paused racing Sunday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Most of the drivers seemed clueless about the rules during the stoppage. Rain picked up and stopped the racing at the natural break of the end of the second stage and many drivers pitted — presumably because their team knew scoring was halted under the red flag and wouldn’t resume until the race went green, Kyle Busch was among many drivers who did not pit, perhaps because they assumed they’d move up in the running order. Busch’s car was out front when the race resumed, but Briscoe was ruled the leader.