- Share via
William Byron goes from ninth to first on final lap to win Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — If you ask any NASCAR driver what is the most important factor in winning the Daytona 500, the answer usually comes back the same. You need luck.
And, for the second year in a row William Byron had that luck to win back-to-back Daytona 500s.
As is usually the case, the race was decided in the last 10, or maybe 15 laps, of this 200-lap signature start of the NASCAR season.
Denny Hamlin, a three-time winner of the Daytona 500, was in a good spot to win as the race headed for an overtime lap. Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe were battling for position near the lead when they made contact. The incident drew in Hamlin, who spun out as his car headed for the infield.
Byron was ninth entering the final lap and stayed high as cars to his inside were collected into the chaos. He stayed close to the wall with Tyler Reddick in tow and won the race with a good drive, a good car and a lot of luck.
“Obviously [I had] some good fortune but I just trusted my instincts on the last lap there,” Byron said. “I felt like they were getting squirrely on the bottom and I was honestly going to go third lane (high) regardless because I was probably sixth coming down the backstretch.”
It was the 15th win in nine years for Byron, who drives a Chevrolet for Hendricks Motorsports.
- Share via
Ryan Preece involved in massive crash on Lap 196 at Daytona
Ryan Preece was involved in a scary-looking crash that sent his car airborne and skidding on its roof with five laps left in the Daytona 500.
Preece managed to climb out of his car and walk into an ambulance after the crash, which sent the race into a two-lap overtime.
Earlier, a crash took Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano out of contention for the win.
- Share via
Ryan Blaney wins the second stage of the Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ford certainly seemed to be having a good day after the second stage of the Daytona 500. Ryan Blaney got a late push from Chase Elliott to propel him past teammate Austin Cindric to lead after 130 laps. Ford captured five of the top eight spots.
After Blaney and Cindric, other Ford drivers were Todd Gilliland (fifth), Chris Buescher (sixth) and Joey Logano (eighth). Elliott was third and Alex Bowman was fourth.
The stage started with a multi-car wreck on lap 70. Ross Chastain and Martin Truex Jr. both took their cars to the garage for serious repairs in the hope of returning. However, the damage to both cars put them out of the race.
“It’s always disappointing when you don’t finish no matter what the situation, especially in a race like this when it’s probably our only shot this year,” Truex said. “It was fun while it lasted but unfortunately, we were just wrong place, wrong time.”
Helio Castroneves also sustained damage that sent him out of the race. Kyle Busch was also collected in the accident. Busch incurred a penalty when his crew was over the wall too early between stages. It put him at the back of the pack, which in a few laps put him on the edge of the multi-car accident.
Others involved were Riley Herbst and Jimmie Johnson.
There was also a caution around lap 83 when debris was spotted in turn one. Most of the cars used the caution to pit during the four-lap yellow. After things went back to green there were 34 cars on the lead lap.
Meanwhile, first stage winner Logano was having issues with his engine. He went to the pits and it was discovered that a piece of debris went through the grill and into the throttle body area. Things were quickly repaired and he was able to get back on the lead lap. No doubt, the caution flags helped.
Ryan Preece was the leader at the halfway point (100 laps) followed by Noah Gragson and Alex Bowman. However, it wasn’t necessarily a sign of good things to come as only two of the last 32 winners were leading at the 250-mile point.
- Share via
Joey Logano wins the first stage of the Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The first stage of Sunday’s Daytona 500 might have seemed longer than a Russian novel but after 65 laps, run over four hours and 50 minutes, Joey Logano won the first points of the race.
He led 38 of the laps. The stage finished under caution when Denny Hamlin checked up and was touched by Zane Smith. Hamlin went down to the apron hitting Smith, who in turn collected Josh Berry. Hamlin kept racing but Smith and Berry went to the pits for repairs.
The racing was very competitive with the pack staying together, often racing three wide. With a few laps to go in the stage, the top 11 cars were running in single file.
The top three cars were Fords with Brad Keselowski finishing second and Ryan Blaney third. Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott finished out the top five.
A.J. Allmendinger was the first car to suffer significant trouble when he brought his car to the pits because of smoke coming out of the rear pipe. He was 26 laps down by the end of the stage and his return was in question.
Logano earned 10 points for winning the first stage. Keselowski got nine points for finishing second. The remaining points were awarded in descending order to the top-10 finishers using the same formula.
- Share via
Daytona 500 is back to green-flag racing after two rain delays
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Green-flag racing resumed at the Daytona 500 after a second rain delay. The first delay lasted more than three hours while the second one lasted about 20 minutes.
After three caution laps, the green flag dropped on lap 23 with Joey Logano going to the front followed by William Byron and Austin Cindric. At this point, the race was already 4 hours and 15 minutes old since the start of the race. Most of the race had been run under caution.
It officially became a night race during the second delay when the lights were turned on. There isn’t expected to be any more rain delays. The temperature has dropped about 20 degrees in the last four hours.
The first stage will end with the completion of the 65th lap. The Daytona 500 is 200 laps.
- Share via
Drivers back on track after second rain delay ends
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona 500 resumed under caution on Lap 21 of 200 after a roughly 45-minute delay because of rain.
Ryan Blaney led the field under caution after most of the drivers opted to pit on laps 16 and 17 before the second red flag came out. The first rain delay lasted more than three hours.
Based on the forecast, the expectation is that the rain should stay away for the remainder of the race.
- Share via
Daytona 500 briefly resumes before another rain delay
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Racing resumed briefly under caution at the Daytona 500 after a 3 hour, 10 minute rain delay. The race had barely started when rain started to hit the Daytona International Speedway and the race was red flagged again.
Drivers ran nine additional laps under caution during the restart. It allowed teams to detect any tire issues after sitting motionless on pit road during the halt in racing. Most teams used the caution period to top off their fuel.
But before the green flag could be dropped there were more sprinkles and the cars were brought back to pit road. But instead of parking in their pit stalls, the cars parked on pit road and drivers were told to stay in their cars, an indication the next delay is expected to be short.
It is certainly the hope that once the rain quits, the drying process will be much shorter.
The top five drivers at lap 20 were: Ryan Blaney, Zane Smith, Riley Herbst, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano. The top four drivers did not make a pit stop during caution.
- Share via
After long rain delay, drivers return to track ahead of restart
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The drivers are back on the track after an almost three-hour rain delay.
The cars will probably run several caution laps to dry out the track even more before getting the green flag. If the rain stays away the race would likely end between 9 p.m. (EST) and 10 p.m. (EST).
The sun even peeked out from behind the clouds to give hope to both drivers and fans.
The top five when the race was stopped after 11 laps were: William Byron, Austin Cindric, Ty Dillon, Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano.
- Share via
It’s still anyone’s guess as to when racing will resume at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It has stopped raining at the Daytona International Speedway and crews are on the track trying to dry it. It takes somewhere in the two-hour range to dry a 2.5-mile track.
The problem is if it starts raining again, then most of the initial work is lost and the process has to start anew.
Optimists are hoping for a restart in the 5 p.m. (EST) hour.
Others, looking at weather sites, see an 86% chance of rain at 5 p.m. and 50% at 6 p.m. The rain has cooled off the venue with temperatures now in low 60s.
There is much less chance of rain at 7 p.m. with the chances disappearing by 8 p.m.
The first milepost once racing resume is to finish the first stage, which is 11 laps into the 65 scheduled.
- Share via
Why can’t NASCAR race in the rain?
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — If you’ve ever wondered why NASCAR doesn’t race in the rain, the answer is simple. Safety.
The big problem is that the tires used in NASCAR don’t have tread on them, so they can’t grip a track surface that is wet. If the tires had tread, given the speeds the cars run at, it would cause excess friction and the tires would burn up more quickly and not achieve top speeds.
There is also the danger of hydroplaning on a wet surface.
Another problem is there are no windshield wipers on cars used on superspeedways and given how close the cars race, the windshield would gather lots of water, oil and dirt that is kicked up by cars in front of them.
They do make racing tires with treads, but they are exclusively used on road courses or short tracks where the ability to turn is more critical. Road course cars and some small track cars do have windshield wipers.
With rain continuing to fall at Daytona, it is unclear when racing might resume on Sunday. Figure that after the rain stops there could be a two-hour drying process that has to go on before cars can resume racing on the track.
The Daytona 500 has three stages, the first two are 65 laps and the final one is 70. The first stage was halted after 11 laps.
- Share via
Drivers embrace attention boost they get from President Trump visiting Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The buzz started small and grew louder at the sold-out Daytona International Speedway about an hour before the green flag dropped to officially start Sunday’s Daytona 500.
No, it wasn’t for Pitbull, a former car owner and Cuban American rapper and singer, taking the main stage for a mini-set.
- Share via
Rain halts Daytona 500 after 11 laps
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It didn’t take long and it came earlier than expected. But the caution flag came out on the ninth lap of the 200-lap race when it started to rain around the Daytona International Speedway.
The cars ran a couple of caution laps around the track before the race was red flagged after lap 11 and all the cars were sent to pit road where they were to wait out the rain. The drivers got out of their cars and sought shelter in their pits. No work can be done on the cars during the delay.
According to the weather service there is a good chance the rain will last a couple hours. If that’s the case, they won’t start drying the track until around 5 p.m. EST. That could put the restart somewhere in the 7 p.m. EST hour.
It’s also possible, but not likely until more about the weather is known, that the race could be postponed a day. But NASCAR would prefer to get the race in on Sunday in deference to all the fans who may not be able to come back Monday.
The top five when the race was stopped were: William Byron, Austin Cindric, Ty Dillon, Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano.
- Share via
Several drivers in new cars moved to back of starting grid
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As race time approaches, as does a cold front spawning thunderstorms and a possible race delay, a clearer picture of the starting grid has emerged as several drivers will have to start at the back of pack because they changed cars.
Seven drivers have switched to their backup car, not the car they qualified in. A lot of these changes were because of damage from wrecks during Thursday’s twin 150-mile qualifiers.
Kyle Larson (No. 5), Brad Keselowski (6), Riley Herbst (35), Alex Bowman (48), Ty Gibbs (54) and Daniel Suárez (99) will all move to the back of the pack. Helio Castroneves (91), who was in the last starting spot before changes, will stay at the back after changing out engines.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47) and Shane Van Gisbergen (88) were also moved to the back after failing prerace inspections.
It all makes for about a quarter of the field having to move to the back during the warm-up laps.
These changes were first reported by Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports.
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Helio Castroneves
Helio Castroneves
Car number: 91
Starting position: 41st (row 21)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Crew Chief: Darian Grubb
Team: Trackhouse Racing
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: None
2024 stats: None
Best Daytona 500 finish: First race
What he says: “I don’t know what to expect because this is the first time for everything. Definitely, the butterflies in the stomach are flying right now. … Look, this is incredible. This is an amazing opportunity. I believe only two guys in the planet were able to win the Daytona 500 and Indy 500. I know it’s very hard. I know it’s tough, like I said, different style racing that I’m used to.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Shane Van Gisbergen
Shane Van Gisbergen
Car number: 88
Starting position: 26th (row 13)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
Crew Chief: Stephen Doran
Team: Trackhouse Racing
Lifetime wins: One
2024 final ranking: 45th
2024 stats: 0 wins, one top fives, two top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Never in race
What he says: “[The key to the start of the season is] if you can just get ahead of the points, settle in. I always love to start championships being an accumulator sort of. That was my sort of strategy. Even in the weeks where you can’t be up front, get the best results you can, minimize mistakes.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson
Car number: 84
Starting position: 40th (row 20)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: El Cajon, Calif.
Crew Chief: Chad Johnston
Team: Legacy Motor Club
Lifetime wins: 83
2024 final ranking: 37th
2024 stats: 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Won in 2006 and 2013
What he says: “It’s nice to be back in the car, but I find, especially last year, to be prepped and ready like I need to, I just didn’t have the time [because I’m an owner]. There’s so much to focus on and work through. We’re trying to recruit, build. We had the recruitment of Knighthead Capital and everything that went with that. I just couldn’t be as prepared as I wanted to, and Daytona is different. There’s very little driver preparation required. So, I’m relieved at that aspect, but I think that at least in the short term, I just need to run less races as a result.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar
Car number: 77
Starting position: 33rd (row 17)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Portage, Mich.
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Team: Spire Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 21st
2024 stats: 0 wins, one top five, six top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 40th in 2024
What he says: “I am excited to go but at the same time I do not love the superspeedways, so I don’t get too excited. If I win the race and we figure out how to maintain lanes and we run really good, them I’m really going to be excited to come back next year. But for me, I need a little bit more superspeedway racing to get excited.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell
Car number: 71
Starting position: 25th (row 13)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Glendale, Ariz.
Crew Chief: Travis Peterson
Team: Spire Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 23rd
2024 stats: 0 wins, two top fives, seven top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Won in 2021
What he says: “The [Daytona] 500, there is nothing that will top that. I wish I had a better way of phrasing it, but the [Indianapolis] Brickyard was more rewarding personally and professionally. The reason is because what we did as a team. We dominated, we led the most laps, we executed on pit road and it’s not a superspeedway and nobody can say it’s fluky.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Ryan Preece
Ryan Preece
Car number: 60
Starting position: 27th (row 14)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Berlin, Conn.
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Team: RFK Racing
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 26th
2024 stats: 0 wins, one top fives, five top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Sixth in 2021
What they say: “As I’ve said, having fast race cars is a huge part of this and looking at the past few years, RFK’s processes and cars have certainly just looked really good. They’ve looked fast and having that raw speed is really important nowadays.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr.
Car number: 56
Starting position: 39th (row 20)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Mayetta, N.J.
Crew Chief: Cole Pearn
Team: Tricon Garage
Lifetime wins: 34
2024 final ranking:
2024 stats: 0 wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Second in 2016
What he says: “I know when I leave here [in this one off race], I don’t have to worry about where I am in the points or just anything like that. There’s no repercussions, right? It’s just have fun, hopefully have a great race, hopefully have a shot at winning this race for the first time.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Ty Gibbs
Ty Gibbs
Car number: 54
Starting position: 23rd (row 12)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
Crew Chief: Chris Gayle
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 15th
2024 stats: 0 wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 17th in 2024
What he says: “Yeah, it’s fun [racing on superspeedways]. It has its ups and downs. I think the biggest thing for me is I’m not in control of everything while racing in the pack. It’s just the racing we have to do and I try and maximize my day.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick
Car number: 45
Starting position: 11th (row six)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Corning, Calif.
Crew Chief: Billy Scott
Team: 23XI Racing
Lifetime wins: Eight
2024 final ranking: Fourth
2024 stats: Three wins (Talladega, Michigan , Homestead), 12 top fives, 21 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 27th in 2019 and 2021
What he says: “I think the things that we needed to improve last year were the right things to focus on. I don’t feel like our keys to being good this year have really changed too much. It feels like we’ve got to keep just working on the same things that we prioritized a lot and improved last year. We’ve got to just keep going further in those same areas.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Erik Jones
Erik Jones
Car number: 43
Starting position: fourth (row two)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Byron, Mich.
Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
Team: Legacy Motor Club
Lifetime wins: Three
2024 final ranking: 28th
2024 stats: 0 wins, one top five, two top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Third in 2019
What they say: “There were times last year where we were probably working to get to the track and not necessarily bringing a fast race car to the track. This year, I think we’re in a better position to build a fast race car to bring to the track and we hope that shows up. I definitely think we’re in a better spot than we were one year ago today. Whether that pays off or not, we’ll find out, but we’re definitely doing better things right now.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: John Hunter Nemechek
John Hunter Nemechek
Car number: 42
Starting position: 18th (row nine)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Mooresville, N.C.
Crew Chief: Travis Mack
Team: Legacy Motor Club
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 34th
2024 stats: 0 wins, 0 top fives, four top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Seventh in 2024
What they say: “You know through a kid’s lens, you don’t really understand how big this race is. You don’t really understand the history behind it. You know it’s big because you’re down here for a week. And at the start of the year, it’s kind of the Super Bowl for us. So, when it comes down to it, it’s just a matter of seeing it through an adult perspective rather than the kid’s lens.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Cody Ware
Cody Ware
Car number: 51
Starting position: 28th (row 14)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Greensboro, N.C.
Crew Chief: Tommy Baldwin (regular crew chief Billy Plourde suspended)
Team: Rick Ware Racing
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 36th
2024 stats: 0 wins, one top five, one top 10
Best Daytona 500 finish: 14th in 2023
What they say: “I think getting to wake up this morning and look at the grandstands and see Daytona for the first time this year was definitely a really awesome experience. To be able to really, after a stressful couple of years, be able to come back and be a part of it again and not really knowing what’s going to happen, I think it was just a really awesome experience. There was definitely a lot of emotion behind that and to be able to put the past in the past and go forward is going to be really awesome this year.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Cole Custer
Cole Custer
Car number: 41
Starting position: 30th (row 10)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, Calif.
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Team: Haas Factory Team
Lifetime wins: One
2024 final ranking: Did not race
2024 stats: Did not race
Best Daytona 500 finish: 11th in 2021
What he says: “It’s definitely exciting getting back in the Cup Series. I’m very thankful because not a lot of people get a second opportunity at this deal, so trying to give everything we’ve got to our team and I think we’ve put a great group together. Everybody has worked extremely hard over the offseason. The alliance with RFK has been great, so we’re just looking to get the year started and see what we can do.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Alex Bowman
Alex Bowman
Car number: 48
Starting position: 38th (row 19)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Tucson, Ariz.
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Lifetime wins: Eight
2024 final ranking: Ninth
2024 stats: One win (Chicago), eight top fives, 17 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Second in 2024
What he says: “It’s just a huge event and everybody knows what the Daytona 500 is and the amount of people here is insane. I can remember there have been Sunday mornings here when we turn into zoo animals and kind of get carted around to our appearances and there have been so many people that we have been late to all of our appearances because we can’t physically get to an from places quickly enough just from the amount of people.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier
Car number: 40
Starting position: 19th (row 10)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Springfield, Ill.
Crew Chief: Jim Pohlman
Team: JR Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 49th
2024 stats: 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 27th in 2014
What he says: “We get to go race the Daytona 500. It’s pretty special. I’ve been here before, Xfinity Series champion, all this stuff. This one (qualifying in the duels) means more than I could ever imagine. It’s going to be really fun.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Car number: 47
Starting position: 31st (row 16)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Olive Branch, Miss.
Crew Chief: Mike Kelley
Team: HYAK Motorsports
Lifetime wins: Four
2024 final ranking: 25th
2024 stats: One win (Talladega), three top fives, six top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Won in 2023
What he says: “I look back at my career and when I was in the Xfinity Series, I hated coming to the superspeedways because I felt like, for one I wasn’t confident. I had never won on a superspeedway. I had some good runs, but I wouldn’t say I was ever spectacular. We always had way better opportunities to win at mile-and-a-halfs and short tracks. I felt like mile-and-a-halfs in 2012, we won six mile-and-a-half racetracks and loved them. But until I won in 2017, I was never very confident coming to a superspeedway, but now it is our best opportunity to win until we get our cars to where we need them to be at other racetracks.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Zane Smith
Zane Smith
Car number: 38
Starting position: 37th (row 19)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Huntington Beach
Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty
Team: Front Row Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 30th
2024 stats: 0 wins, two top fives, four top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 13th in 2023 and 2024
What he says: “I’ve told this story a couple times, so I may sound like a broken record. I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I still have the text saved in my phone, but the day I was actually let go and headed back home I was on the highway and got a text message from Bob Jenkins saying, ‘Are you all set for next year?’ And I answered, ‘Believe it or not, I’ve got something for you.’ So, yeah, just crazy how the world works. Bob and I would joke that we hoped we would get to work together again and I’m just excited to have another shot, especially with how the back half of last year went.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Riley Herbst
Riley Herbst
Car number: 35
Starting position: 24th (row 12)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Las Vegas
Crew Chief: Davin Restivo
Team: 23XI Racing
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 55th
2024 stats: 0 wins, 0 top 5s, 0 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 10th in 2023
What he says: “I probably have more confidence than I’m supposed to have at this point. I’m literally on the best race team in the garage. I have the two best owners, who are so involved. Just sitting on the couch last year, I never thought about how involved Denny [Hamlin] and Michael [Jordan] can be. … It has been phenomenal to join this team and I’m very excited for the future.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Todd Gilliland
Todd Gilliland
Car number: 34
Starting position: 14th (row seven)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Statesville, N.C.
Crew Chief: Kevyn Rebolledo (regular crew chief Chris Larson suspended)
Team: Front Row Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 22nd
2024 stats: 0 wins, 0 top fives, four top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 27th in 2023
What he says: “Personally, this race means the most by far of anything. I think it’s the biggest race in the whole world, in my opinion. I do think a lot of that comes from growing up around the racetrack and I think one of my earliest memories is my dad being on the pole in that 2007 Daytona 500, so just feeling the energy being down on pit road at such a young age made me think that was a feeling I wanted to feel one day, and then once I ran my first Daytona 500 it was amazing. It was everything I ever hoped for.”
- Share via
It’s official: President Trump will attend the Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It’s been rumored all week. Now it’s official. President Trump will be coming to Sunday’s Daytona 500. He also was at the 500 in 2020. This comes a week after Trump attended the Super Bowl.
If you want to follow his schedule, here is the timeline (EST):
11:55 a.m. — Trump departs Palm Beach International Airport.
12:45 p.m. — Trump arrives at Daytona Beach International Airport.
1:05 p.m. — Trump departs Daytona Beach Airport and heads to the Daytona International Speedway.
1:10 p.m. — Trump arrives at Daytona International Speedway (yes, it’s that close to the airport).
3:05 p.m. — Trump leaves the speedway and heads to Daytona Beach International Airport.
3:30 p.m. — Trump departs Daytona Beach heading back to Palm Beach, Fla.
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: William Byron
William Byron
Car number: 24
Starting position: Fifth (third row)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 13
2024 final ranking: Third
2024 stats: Three wins (Daytona, Austin (COA), Martinsville), 13 top fives, 21 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Win in 2024
What he says: “I have more joy coming down here than I did before. I have more passion and excitement for this race than I did before. I feel like having experienced it the way it was last year really changed my perspective on the race as a whole in a good way, obviously. I feel that’s created some more motivation to get another one. This race, it’s a lifetime achievement. It’s something people reference everywhere you go. It’s something that the first time in my career I’ve had something like that. It makes it cool, it makes it more special, because you can tell people care about the race.”
- Share via
Betting odds for Daytona 500: Race favorites and Las Vegas long shots
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — So, you’ve got a hunch on who will win the Daytona 500. And you feel strongly about it. Time to put your money where your heart is because you can bet the 500 if you are in a state that allows sports betting.
(Those who want to bet legally in California can skip the rest of this item.)
DraftKings has posted race lines on the Great American Race. One thing to consider is that the popular drivers will have lower odds than perhaps their chances of winning the race. The sports books can’t afford to take a big hit on any one driver so they offer lower odds to fan favorites.
Here’s the current DraftKings favorites: Kyle Busch (+900, bet $100 to win $900), Denny Hamlin (+1100), Chase Elliott (+1100), Ryan Blaney (+1100), Bubba Wallace (+1100).
Looking for a real long shot, here are the drivers with the highest odds: Cody Ware (+15000), Helio Castroneves (+10000), John Hunter Nemechek (+10000), Shane Van Gisbergen (+9000), Carson Hocevar (+9000), Zane Smith (+9000).
Steve Makinen, who covers auto racing for VSiN (Vegas Stats and Information Network), runs simulations of the race and here’s the lines the computer kicked out: Austin Cindric (+700), William Byron (+762), Joey Logano (+826), Bubba Wallace (+900), Kyle Larson (+1349).
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace
Car number: 23
Starting position: Third (row two)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Mobile, Ala.
Crew Chief: Charles Denike
Team: 23XI Racing
Lifetime wins: 2
2024 final ranking: 18th
2024 stats: 0 wins, six top 5s, 14 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Second in 2018 and 2022
What he says: “Having my family here with me [was great]. I started crying walking out to driver intros [before the twin qualifiers]. When I walked under the Rolex banner, I was carrying [new son Becks] in my arms. I was like, ‘Why didn’t I have this experience at Bowman Gray [at the Clash], because it was my first race?’ He wasn’t there with me. I wasn’t carrying him. So I lost it walking out on pit road, and I was trying my best to cover it up a little bit.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Joey Logano
Joey Logano
Car number: 22
Starting position: 10th (row five)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Middletown, Conn.
Crew Chief: Paul Wolfe
Team: Team Penske
Lifetime wins: 36
2024 final ranking: First
2024 stats: Four wins (Nashville, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix), seven top fives, 13 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Won in 2015
What they say: “If you understand the probabilities and the chances of what’s going on around you and who is around you and what they’re most likely to do, you can control most of your destiny. I mean, I kind of look at it as a card game. You can win with any hand if you play it correctly. Maybe you don’t have the best hand, but you can probably figure out how to do something with it. That’s kind of how I see it.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Josh Berry
Josh Berry
Car number: 21
Starting position: 29th (row 15)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Hendersonville, Tenn.
Crew Chief: Miles Stanley
Team: Wood Brothers Racing
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 27th
2024 stats: 0 wins, two top fives, four top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 25th in 2024
What he says: “It’s such an iconic race and to be here you really truly don’t understand and appreciate it until you get to the race day and all of the pre-race festivities and everything that goes along with it really shows how big of an event this is. It’s one we all look forward to. We all want to win. We all want to kick off our season on a strong note. We want to have a solid finish, but it’s still always cool to come here and race.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell
Car number: 20
Starting position: 20th (row 10)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Norman, Okla.
Crew Chief: Adam Stevens
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Lifetime wins: 9
2024 final ranking: Fifth
2024 stats: Three wins (Phoenix, Charlotte, New Hampshire), 15 top fives, 23 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Third in 2023 and 2024
What he says: “The Daytona 500 is a huge event. It is a huge race. Running all of my other races that I’ve got to do, everyone talks about this race. It is all about Daytona. I’m honored, and I’m thrilled, and I’m blessed to be in this opportunity to compete in another Daytona 500, but with that being said, the race itself is a lot of luck. We’ve come out on the good end of it the last couple of years now, and we will go roll the dice again.”
- Share via
Today’s Daytona 500 could be interrupted because of weather
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It seems very likely that Sunday’s Daytona 500 will have a weather delay at some point during the race.
On Friday, officials moved up the start an hour from 2:30 p.m. (EST) to 1:30 p.m. (EST) to try to get ahead of the rain. At that point, it looked as if the rain might hold off until 4-5 p.m. But, the cold front that was headed to Florida sped up a little and the rain is supposed to start after 3 p.m.
According to Weather.com, the likelihood of rain during the 3 p.m. (EST) hour is 80%, in the 4 p.m. hour it’s 66% and 48% during the 5 p.m. hour. The chances of rain fall off dramatically after that.
As the front blows through the area, lightning is expected. If lightning is detected within eight miles of the track, there will be an automatic stop for 30 minutes, similar to an airport ground stop.
Once the rain hits and if the race is stopped, it takes between 90 and 150 minutes to dry the track depending on the amount of rain. So, figure a two-hour delay after the rain stops.
If 100 laps are completed, the race is considered official and NASCAR could end the race at any time because of the weather. The race has been shortened because of weather four times.
If there is so much rain that NASCAR believes it would take too long to dry the track, the race could be postponed until Monday, as it was last year. It was the third time it was run on a Monday.
All in all, it could be a very long day — and night — for those racing and in attendance.
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe
Car number: 19
Starting position: Pole position (front row)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Mitchell, Ind.
Crew Chief: James Small
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Lifetime wins: Two
2024 final ranking: 14th
2024 stats: One win (Darlington), three top fives, nine top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Third in 2022
What he says: “I mean, it is the pole. We’d much rather win the race, but it’s neat regardless. Even this whole off-season, a lot of the emphasis at [Joe Gibbs Racing] has been to qualify better at superspeedways. They felt like that was the biggest area where they lacked.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher
Car number: 17
Starting position: sixth (row three)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Prosper, Texas
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Team: RFK Racing
Lifetime wins: Six
2024 final ranking: 17th
2024 stats: One win (Watkins Glen), six top fives, 15 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Fourth in 2023
What he says: “I always catch a little bit of crap for this one because it’s obviously a massive race and it does mean a lot, but I try really hard not to put more emphasis or pressure on any specific race. I want to win wherever we’re at this weekend. This race means as much to me as winning the Coca-Cola 400 did [at Daytona] or as much as winning Pocono did in my rookie season. I just want to win races wherever they may be.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: A.J. Allmendinger
A.J. Allmendinger
Car number: 16
Starting position: 13th (row seven)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Los Gatos, Calif.
Crew Chief: Trent Owens
Team: Kaulig Racing
Lifetime wins: Three
2024 final ranking: 46th
2024 stats: 0 wins, 0 top fives, five top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Third in 2009, 2017
What he says: “If you do well it doesn’t mean your season is going to be great. If it goes bad and you get caught up in wrecks, it doesn’t mean your season is going to go bad or you’re going to run bad every race. It’s the nature of the way the season starts off with two superspeedway races in a row.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney
Car number: 12
Starting position: 16th (row eight)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Hartford, Ohio
Crew Chief: Jonathan Hassler
Team: Team Penske
Lifetime wins: 13
2024 final ranking: Second
2024 stats: Three wins (Iowa, Pocono, Martinsville), 12 top fives, 18 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Second in 2017
What he says: “You’re always changing the way you race. You adapt to the car. You understand what it does different, but now everyone has an idea. ‘Hey, this is how this car races on speedways,’ and you just have to do the best you can with it, so you’re always adapting and trying to find different ways to stand out. That’s the hardest thing because you have 39 other people doing the same thing.”
- Share via
NASCAR Cup drivers hope to be racing in Southern California again soon
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Zane Smith is running in his second full season on the NASCAR circuit. Technically, it’s his fifth season, but he didn’t have a full-time ride until last year. It’s been a journey for the 25-year-old, who also spent time in some of NASCAR’s less prestigious circuits, winning nine races and earning 61 top 10s in the truck series.
He left his hometown of Huntington Beach when he was 15 and moved to North Carolina to pursue a career in racing.
Smith would love to come back to his home and race and also visit some of his favorite restaurants while growing up, including Nick’s Deli in Seal Beach, where he loves the breakfast burrito, and Mario’s in Huntington Beach.
“I’m a big Mexican food guy,” Smith said.
But Smith will not be coming home any time soon to race because for the first time since 1997 — exclusive of the COVID year — there will be no NASCAR event in Southern California.
The re-imagining of the former Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, with the hope of converting it to a short track, has taken longer than expected. In November, The Times’ Kevin Baxter reported there is no commitment as to when it will make it back on the NASCAR calendar.
Fontana ran its last NASCAR race about two years ago.
Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief venue and racing information officer, in November acknowledged that the future “remains to be seen,” but remains “bullish about getting it back on the schedule.”
Smith points to his youthful memories, which were not that long ago.
“I grew up racing in the parking lot in go-karts there and that was kind of a dream of mine to be able to race there,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, times are different now, but I feel some of the SoCal fans are some of the best in the world, and I believe they deserve a race out there.”
It’s a theme that is consistent from drivers on NASCAR’s prestigious Cup circuit.
“As to how you get back, I don’t know,” said Kyle Larson, a 29-race winner who grew up in Elk Grove, Calif. “Irwindale just shut down, we don’t go to the Coliseum anymore. They say that Fontana is still going to convert, but I don’t believe that. I would love to know what are the tracks out there. I would love for us to get back out to something.”
A sampling of NASCAR drivers with California roots, and some without, all pointed to a need to get back Southern California.
“It’s just really, really tough to have racetracks out there right now,” said Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion who has won 63 races on the circuit. “It seems like even the short track realm in California seems to be struggling a little bit more and more. Irwindale leaving, you still have Kern County Raceway and you’ve still got Madera and you’ve still got a couple of those other places. Some of the dirt tracks have been able to stay around.
“A lot of places are kind of dying out just from not getting enough fans in the stands during the week for the promoters to be able to keep it worth their while, and then also just the car counts. It’s so expensive to race right now and let alone cost of living is certainly putting a hindrance on people being able to go to the races.”
Tyler Reddick, from Corning, Calif. and winner of eight races in six years on the senior circuit, agrees on the need to return to Southern California and even proposes an answer.
“Long Beach would be awesome,” Reddick said, echoing the thoughts of several drivers. “In my mind that’s the easiest one I know. But the streets can only be closed for so long. And Indy cars really have had that for a long time. I would really enjoy that.”
Reddick’s solution is great in theory but much more difficult to accomplish in reality.
“The idea of running the two Series [IndyCar and NASCAR] was discussed but concluded rather quickly due to the massive challenges which would need to be resolved,” said Jim Michaelian, president of the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach.
“There isn’t adequate paddock space for the two Series, let alone for any ancillary race event. The pit lane is not nearly long enough to be used simultaneously. The event schedule is extremely congested since the Grand Prix is limited to three days of racing only.”
Michaelian also pointed to the current agreement with the city which allows for only one three-day event a year.
“This would not preclude another Series from petitioning the city to bring an event at a different time of the year,” Michaelian said. “But that would require approval of not only the city but also the California Coastal Commission which is reluctant to issue a permit in the summertime months if the event in any way inhibits beachgoers from gaining access to the waterfront.
“Another key consideration is the fact that in 2028, Long Beach is slated to host up to seven separate competitions at the LA28 Olympics in the entire area currently utilized by the Grand Prix. So, any new event would really only have a maximum of two years of continuity before being required to cease operation for at least one year.”
Not all good thoughts are achievable.
NASCAR remains dedicated to racing again in Southern California, but it’s unclear when a planned, reconfigured race track in Fontana will be ready.
“I wish we could race in every state,” Larson said. “I mean times change, so I don’t know. I don’t run the schedule. I don’t run the sport. It’s not like NASCAR has forgotten Southern California. I’m sure they’re trying to figure out ways to get back there. I think hopefully in in the future we can get back there sometime.”
The Times contacted two racing officials during Daytona SpeedWeeks about the future of racing in Southern California but received no response.
“I just wish there was a race back home for me,” Smith said. “It was cool growing up there. I’m super-thankful for my childhood, being able to ride a bike and skateboard in some amazing weather. I had a cool childhood, but I grew up racing all the time and definitely wish there was more racing around. It’s why I moved to Mooresville, N.C. [so I could race.].”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
Car number: 11
Starting position: Eighth (row four)
Car type: Toyota
Hometown: Chesterfield, Va.
Crew Chief: Chris Gayle
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Lifetime wins: 54
2024 final ranking: Eighth
2024 stats: Three wins (Bristol, Richmond, Dover), 12 top fives, 18 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Won in 2016, 2019, 2020
What he says: “I try to tell people that we try so hard when we are kids, we are trying to get to the highest form of motorsports, but to win its biggest race is one of the things that we aspire to do. To have done it three times is certainly special. If any of you have the question on what will the fourth mean, I can’t answer that.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Daniel Suárez
Daniel Suárez
Car number: 99
Starting position: 36th (row 18)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico
Crew Chief: Travis Mack
Team: Trackhouse Racing Team
Lifetime wins: Two
2024 final ranking: 12th
2024 stats: One win (Atlanta), four top fives, nine top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Seventh in 2023
What he says: “Daytona is tricky. It’s just very tricky. I have made a lot of mistakes here at Daytona. I’m telling you, 80% of the time I’ve been caught in wrecks. I’m not doing anything wrong. It just happens.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Ty Dillon
Ty Dillon
Car number: 10
Starting position: Seventh (row four)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Welcome, N.C.
Crew Chief: Andrew Dickerson
Team: Kaulig Racing
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 50th
2024 stats: 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Sixth in 2019
What he says: “I have a unique perspective as a driver and my grandfather is an owner in NASCAR. So, I understand there are certain needs to be fulfilled. And there are certain things that have to play out and that is just business. And sometimes it is just business whether it works or not and you have to make the best decision as an owner for your company.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott
Car number: 9
Starting position: 17th (row nine)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Dawsonville, Ga.
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 19
2024 final ranking: Seventh
2024 stats: one win (Texas), 11 top fives, 19 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Second in 2021
What he says: “[Winning the Daytona 500 is] a great opportunity to submit your name into the history books of the sport, is kind of how I look at it. This race has always been kind of its own event. I understand it’s part of the season, the winner gets locked-in or kind of locked-in [the playoffs]. They’re locked-in when they leave here, right? And then it gets close to the playoffs and we’re promoting how many winners we have, right? It’s always important to remember that a win does not lock you in, if you get more winners than you have spots.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Car number: 8
Starting position: 21st (row 11)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Las Vegas
Crew Chief: Randall Burnett
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Lifetime wins: 63
2024 final ranking: 20th
2024 stats: 0 wins, five top fives, 10 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Second in 2019
What he says: “We’ve had really good speed being down here. These guys build great restrictor-plate program racecars, so when we go to Daytona, Atlanta, Talladega, we feel like those places are really good for us. We’ve got really good speed. I just told someone that it’s 80% luck/20 percent skill race. Others would disagree but I feel like you have to have a lot of things go your way and you have to have the stars align.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Justin Haley
Justin Haley
Car number: 7
Starting position: 35th (18th row)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Winamac, Ind.
Crew Chief: Rodney Childers
Team: Spire Motorsports
Lifetime wins: Four
2024 final ranking: 31st
2024 stats: 0 wins, 0 top 5s, three top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: 13th in 2020
What he says: “The Daytona 500 to me is so much more than just a race. It is the biggest race. I don’t want to discredit that, but to me it was more of the 358 races that I took to get there. If you look at my rookie season, not that it went bad, but my trajectory of getting fired and getting replaced by Marcus Ambrose and being sort of an unknown in this sport … to win 357 races later (in an Xfinity race) was miraculous.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski
Car number: 6
Starting position: 34th (17th row)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Rochester, Mich.
Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins
Team: RFK Racing
Lifetime wins: 36
2024 final ranking: 13th
2024 stats: 1 win (Darlington), 9 top 5s, 14 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: third in 2014
What he says: “I just see [the Daytona 500] as a prestige race. It’s not a season performance indicator. It’s probably the opposite of a season. The prestige is real. It’s one of those things that once you win, people remember it and it carries throughout your career.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson
Car number: 5
Starting position: 22nd (11th row)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Elk Grove, Calif.
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 29
2024 final ranking: sixth
2024 stats: Six wins (Las Vegas, Kansas, Sonoma, Indianapolis, Bristol, Charlotte), 15 top fives, eight top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Third in 2020
What he says: “I do feel pretty confident when we come to these races. I feel like we have a great feel for the race and kind of how it works out, the strategy. I do feel like we’re up front quite often at the end of them. … I feel like we have a good understanding of these races. Just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing and hopefully things will work out.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Noah Gragson
Noah Gragson
Car number: 4
Starting position: 32nd (row 16)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Las Vegas
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Team: Front Row Motorsports
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 24th
2024 stats: 0 wins, one top five, seven top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Ninth in 2024
What he says: “We want to just minimize the mistakes and I think that’s the goal that we have. Maximize the opportunities and minimize the mistakes. When you get to week 20 of this deal, the motivation tends to get lost a little bit no matter who it is – the driver, team members, pit crew. It wears and tears on you.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Austin Dillon
Austin Dillon
Car number: 3
Starting position: 15th (row eight)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Welcome, N.C.
Crew Chief: Richard Boswell
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Lifetime wins: Five
2024 final ranking: 32nd
2024 stats: One win (Richmond), one top five, five top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Won in 2018
What he says: “We have struggled the last two years getting off to a start. We had to dig ourselves out of holes and it just put us behind and we were always playing catch up. We were able to have some good runs, but they don’t amount to the points gain when we have them. So, for me, it’s huge to get off to a good start and that’s something we’re putting more focus on.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Austin Cindric
Austin Cindric
Car number: 2
Starting position: Second (front row)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Mooresville, N.C.
Crew Chief: Brian Wilson
Team: Team Penske
Lifetime wins: Two
2024 final ranking: 11th
2024 stats: One win (Gateway), four top fives, seven top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Won in 2022
What he says: “It’s a great way for us to start the season. Obviously the pole doesn’t mean a whole lot outside of as far as what that means for your race. You still have to go out there and win. Still, from the standpoint of the confidence, from a team standpoint inside the garage, there’s a ton of pride who can bring the fastest car to Daytona.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Corey LaJoie
Corey LaJoie
Car number: 01
Starting position: 12th (row six)
Car type: Ford
Hometown: Concord N.C.
Team: Rick Ware Racing
Lifetime wins: 0
2024 final ranking: 33rd
2024 stats: 0 wins, one top five, three top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Fourth in 2024
What he says: “It’s hallowed grounds regardless if my dad was super successful here or not. My dad won twice. I remember being a kid before they redid all the garage areas. It used to be like a little — kind of an open patch of grass. It was like a perfect football field size, and we would be running around playing football. I was probably 8 or 9 years old.”
- Share via
Driver spotter’s guide: Ross Chastain
Ross Chastain
Car number: 1
Starting position: Ninth (row five)
Car type: Chevrolet
Hometown: Alva, Fla.
Crew Chief: Phil Surgen
Team: Trackhouse Racing Team
Lifetime wins: Five
2024 final ranking: 19th
2024 stats: One win, six top fives, 14 top 10s
Best Daytona 500 finish: Seventh in 2021
What he says: “I live and believe that you are safest out front. We were living proof of that last year in that we got clipped in the rear bumper but it didn’t spin us. There were a lot of cars behind us that got taken out in that final wreck before I spun. I think the safest spot is up front but I can’t figure out how to live up front in the beginning of the stage and end of the stage. At some point you have to be in the pack.”
- Share via
What time does the Daytona 500 start? What channel will it be on?
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Auto racing fans are emerging from their near three-month slumber to get ready for the first race of the NASCAR season, the Great American Race, better known as the Daytona 500.
It’s an anomaly in sports that the biggest event of the year is the first race, not the last, of the season. But that’s the way they do it in NASCAR.
Wondering what time Sunday’s race will be held is a moving target. It was originally scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. EST start. But, Florida being Florida, a cold front was approaching and on Friday, NASCAR officials moved the start time up an hour to 1:30 p.m. EST.
Shortly after the announcement, the weather service had the cold front speeding up slightly putting it right in the crosshairs of the race.
It’s likely the flag will drop on time. So, let’s look at how that affects viewers watching the telecast on Fox across the country.
— In Los Angeles, the race will start at 10:30 a.m., with a Sunday morning mimosa in hand.
— In Denver, you may be having a second mimosa, because of the 11:30 a.m. flag drop.
— In Chicago, well, you’re on your own on mimosas, but it will start at 12:30 p.m.
— And, finally, on the East Coast, where the race is being run, you can count on the green flag dropping around 1:30 p.m. The weather looks good for an on-time start.
Pre-race coverage on Fox (Channel 11 in L.A.; Channel 31 in Denver; it’s 32 in Chicago; and 5 in New York) will start early, but not as obnoxiously early as pre-game coverage of the Super Bowl.
The question of the day is how long the race will last. The weather forecast is not all green flag with rain chances creeping over 50% during the race. There will be two options, calling the race official if the rain hits after the halfway point, or waiting out the rain until later in the day. Or, a third option, restarting the race on Monday.
NASCAR obviously does not want to push its biggest race of the year to the next day, but it would likely be in East Coast prime time if it does.