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<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) This NOAA satellite image taken Friday, Sept. 5, 2008 at 3:15 PM EDT shows a mass of clouds off the Southeast Coast associated with Tropical Storm Hanna. The storm is expected to make landfall along the South Carolina coast late Friday or early Saturday before moving along the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts. A line of clouds stretching from the Gulf Coast through the Great Lakes is associated with a frontal system that is bringing some rain to the Ohio Valley. More precipitation is falling in the Plains.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, September 5, 2008 Hanna washes out NASCAR races at Richmond By Hank Kurz Jr. Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. -- Steady rain that began Friday night and expectations that it would continue through Saturday with Tropical Storm Hanna moving in forced NASCAR to postpone Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. The Chevrolet 400, which will finalize the field of 12 drivers who will be eligible to compete for the 2008 series championship, is now scheduled for 10 a.m. (PDT) Sunday. "We just felt this was the right thing to do," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said, adding that the decision was made after consultations with emergency officials in the area who warned that besides heavy rain, the storm was expected to bring high wind on Saturday. "Tomorrow's going to be a tough day," track president Doug Fritz said, based on the forecasts. "Sometimes there's hope and sometimes there's not. This is one of those moving targets. ... We're still looking for two days of great racing, all crammed into one now." The Nationwide Series race scheduled for Friday night was moved to Sunday at 4 p.m. (PDT) NASCAR said the field for both races will be set based on driver's standings and that the garage will be closed and the cars impounded from Friday night until 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. The postponements are particularly bad news for rookie sensation Joey Logano, who was scheduled to make his debut in NASCAR's premier series driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Because qualifying was washed out, he didn't get a chance to make the field. "I can't change the weather, so I just go with it," said Logano, who will replace the departing Tony Stewart in Gibbs' No. 20 next season. Fritz said the hundreds of motor homes already in place on the grounds of the track will be allowed to stay, even though there are no activities planned at the track on Saturday. It was the number of fans that come from far away that made the decision hard, he said. "You've got to balance the fans and obviously the uncertainty of the weather," he said. "That's where we were when we made this decision. ... We really pushed to get the races in as scheduled and at some point you've got to make the decision that it's not going to happen." The Sprint Cup Series race will be televised on ESPN, Hunter said, and the Nationwide Series event will be televised on ESPN2. The start of that race will depend on how quickly the grandstands can be cleared following the Sprint Cup race to allow other ticket-holders in. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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