George Bacon took four wickets as Nottinghamshire's Second Eleven restricted Warwickshire to 227 all out following a delayed start to the fixture.
No play had been possible on Wednesday but Bacon (4-61) and Andy Carter (3-53) made inroads before Notts reached 31-1 in reply at stumps.
Tom Rowe (15) and Sam Wood (6) will resume on the final day after captain Sam Kelsall was caught at second slip in the first over.
Warwickshire had made a bright start in reaching 84-1 at lunch but with Brett Hutton and Graeme White chipping in, the visitors soon established control.