The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway will not go ahead as planned after severe weather forced officials to postpone Friday night’s event. The Black’s Tire 250 presented by BTS Rewards, the 17th race of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, was delayed for nearly two hours before NASCAR called off the race because of heavy rain and repeated lightning strikes.
The race was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, but the trucks never took the green flag. NASCAR later confirmed that the Truck Series race will now take place Saturday at noon ET on FS2. The change creates a rare doubleheader at Richmond Raceway, with the NASCAR Cup Series race following later Saturday evening.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race Postponed
NASCAR Communications announced early Saturday: “Tonight’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway has been postponed due to inclement weather. The Black’s Tire 250 Presented by BTS Rewards will take place tomorrow at noon ET and air on FS2.”
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series account also confirmed the new schedule, saying: “NEWS: Tonight’s race at Richmond Raceway has been postponed to Saturday at 12 p.m. ET due to weather. Watch on FS2 or listen on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.”
Lightning holds were used several times as storms moved into the Richmond area. NASCAR requires a 30-minute wait after the last detected lightning strike before racing can resume. Although wet-weather tires were available, the heavy rain and continued lightning prevented a safe start.
Richmond Raceway Sets New Schedule
Richmond Raceway confirmed that the Truck Series race will begin at noon ET Saturday. Parking lots will open at 10 a.m. for fans with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series tickets, while gates for NASCAR Cup Series ticket holders will open at 2 p.m.
The track will clear and clean the grandstands between the two races. Ticketholders will also receive an email with full information about weather protection and ticket arrangements.
The postponement means the Truck Series race will run during the afternoon before the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 later Saturday. Several drivers will face the challenge of competing in both events.
Shane van Gisbergen Leads Truck Series Field
Shane van Gisbergen will start the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race from pole after taking his first career pole position on an oval in any NASCAR national series. The New Zealander drove the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to a 23.168-second lap at 116.540 mph.
Van Gisbergen edged Kaden Honeycutt by only 0.014 seconds.
“Thank you to the Spire guys. It’s pretty awesome. We had a pretty good week and these guys helped me get comfortable. Pretty amazing to do that. I’m stoked and yeah, we’ll see how it goes in the race.”
Van Gisbergen is also entered in the Cup Series race, creating the possibility of more than 600 laps of racing for him Saturday.
The Black’s Tire 250 covers 250 laps and 187.5 miles across three stages. Series points leader Layne Riggs entered the weekend with a sizable advantage and a chance to secure the No. 1 seed for the playoffs. Defending winner Corey Heim and other title contenders will now compete in daylight rather than the planned night race.
Coverage of the rescheduled NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race begins at noon ET on FS2, with radio coverage on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR Race at Richmond Raceway Postponed as Storms Disrupt Schedule