INDYCAR: Rain stops Texas race at 71 laps

The Firestone 600 is back under rain delay at Texas Motor Speedway after torrential rain storms returned with 71 laps completed – short of an official distance.

Prior to the red flag for rain, the race had been running under an extended caution due to a huge crash involving Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly, which resulted after Daly's Dale Coyne Racing entry broke loose (left) and collected the Eddie Carpenter Racing entry of Newgarden, spearing him into the SAFER Barrier on lap 43. After initially climbing from his wrecked car, Newgarden was treated by the safety team and transported to a local hospital for evaluation of suspected injuries to his right shoulder and wrist. Daly was unhurt in the incident.

James Hinchcliffe led the race at the red flag over Ryan Hunter-Reay, although the latter expects to be scored in the lead having beaten Hinchcliffe out of the pits.

"It's a black-and-white situation," Hunter-Reay told NBCSN. "We beat him to the blend-out line when the yellow came out, so we should be the leader."

With the race still well short of the required halfway mark for declaring an official race, and the rain dousing a track that has been problematic with "weepers" long after the rain ceases, it's unclear when the race will resume.

"We might have got to halfway if we hadn't had the yellow there – we just can't catch a break," added Hunter-Reay. "And this is going to douse the track – who knows, we might be racing on Wednesday now!"

Jay Frye, IndyCar president of competition and operations, told NBCSN that the series would make every effort to restart the race on Sunday night, weather permitting.

Standaings at red flag: