The start time for the Daytona 500 has been moved up an hour due to potential weather hazards on Sunday in Florida.
The biggest race event of the year is now set to air at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX.
Current projections say the Daytona Beach area will experience a 60% chance of rain later in the day with powerful winds to 30+ mph as a cold front moves through Sunday evening.
Given these projections, moving up the event would be beneficial for all involved in the event, particularly the drivers, according to Outkick NASCAR Columnist Zach Dean.
Dean noted how gusty winds could have a considerable impact on those competing at the Daytona 500.
“Stability at Daytona is everything because it’s pack racing, and everybody’s going 190 miles an hour, and they’re all tucked in within a second or two of each other,” Dean said. “So, keeping your car stable going into the turns is key, because if you get loose, if you wobble just a little bit, you could take out half the field… yeah, a wobble at Daytona is bad news.”
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Additionally, the conditions on the racetrack must be perfect to ensure the safety of all drivers, as their tires are sensitive to moisture.
Drivers use special tires called slicks to maximize traction on dry roads.
Rain can cause lengthy delays, which could postpone the race.
To ensure that roads are dry and safe enough to perform on, NASCAR uses track drying technology.
NASCAR’s Air Titan 2.0 is a track-drying device that uses compressed air to push water off the track.
It is essentially like using a squeegee to push or brush the water off the road using air.
The FOX Forecast Center says there’s a medium to high risk of weather impacting the race with the expected rain showers.
Temperatures will reach the lower 80s with close to 70% humidity.
If the race faces any delays, it would be the second year in a row Mother Nature has not cooperated with the race.
Last year’s race was pushed back a day after rain washed out any hope of safely getting the race in on the originally scheduled Sunday.
“They certainly do not want a Monday race again – Daytona 500 on Mondays are frankly a disaster for NASCAR,” Dean said. “They’re not great for FOX and for people who pay a lot of money for the commercials. So they’re going to do everything they can to keep this race on a Sunday. I think it’s going to start, no problem. It might get a little iffy if they have to red flag it for a few hours. I assume they’d rather do that and restart at 8 or 9 rather than restart Monday night at 4 or 5. So it’s going to be wait and see.”
