DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced that the Daytona 500 will start early to avoid potential inclement weather on Sunday.
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The “Great American Race” was initially scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start. The start time has been moved up to 1:30 p.m., with the green flag set for 2:13 p.m.
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The change comes as the National Weather Service forecasted a 50 percent chance of rain Sunday afternoon. A more substantial chance for precipitation is expected to move in on Sunday evening.
NASCAR officials said in a release that they hope adjusting the schedule provides a better chance to finish all 500 miles in one day.
The last two runnings of the race have been impacted by the weather. While 2025’s race was slowed by 3.5 hours, 2024’s race had to be pushed to Monday due to washout conditions.
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