NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. – A strong storm that produced flooding and lightning at the North Wilkesboro Speedway Saturday forced NASCAR to postpone the Craftsman Truck Series race and cancel qualifying laps as organizers will try again on Sunday.

NASCAR said the Truck Series race was halted after 81 of 250 laps due to torrential rainfall and flooding around the track.

Photos and videos from the North Carolina speedway showed drivers and crew members wading through thigh-deep water after a thunderstorm is estimated to have dropped between 3-4″ of rainfall in a short time.

Some crew members appeared to even try to swim and attempt bellyflops in the deep water.

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The National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, Virginia, issued a series of flood alerts for communities in western North Carolina, including Wilkes County, warning of the potentially life-threatening weather.

The Flood Warning that was in effect for Wilkes County and towns such as North Wilkesboro has since expired but forecasters warned that road closures remained and flooding was still possible in poor drainage areas.

Rain also made for a muddy Preakness at the Pimlico Race Course in Maryland.

A horse by the name of Seize The Grey easily won despite the track conditions.

Crowd favorite and Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan came in second, which put an end to the run for the famed Triple Crown.

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The FOX Forecaster Center said a slow moving and sometimes stalled storm system over the Southeast was the trigger for many of the showers and thunderstorms that developed from the mid-Atlantic to Florida on Saturday.

The bulk of the shower and thunderstorm activity is expected to move offshore on Sunday, leaving behind just widely scattered chances for rain for the Carolinas and the Sunshine State.

NASCAR officials expect the 0.625-mile North Wilkesboro track will be dry enough to resume the Truck Series race at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

The All Star Race is still expected to take place on Sunday evening with 20 drivers competing for a $1 million prize.

Original article source: Flooding turns North Carolina speedway into a swimming pool for NASCAR crews