Daytona 500 resumes after 2 weather delays put the NASCAR race on hold

Daytona 500 moved up an hour ahead of rain

The Daytona 500 was moved up one hour to start at 1:30 p.m. in hopes of missing some of the rain forecast for Sunday afternoon in Daytona Beach. 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Daytona 500 got underway an hour early at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday to try and beat any potential weather hazards in Florida, but the NASCAR race entered a weather delay shortly after starting.

After three hours of delays, drivers were called back to their cars at 5:25 p.m., NASCAR said. 

Shortly after the race began again, another weather delay was called on the 20th lap, but the race was quickly able to resume.

The first rain delay began at lap 12, NASCAR said. Crews quickly began trying to dry the track after the pause was announced. 

Current projections show the Daytona Beach area experiencing showers and thunderstorms with powerful winds up to 35 mph as a cold front moves across the Sunshine State. 

Outkick NASCAR Columnist Zach Dean noted how gusty winds could have a considerable impact on those competing in 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."

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 said there was a high risk of weather impacting the race with the expected thunderstorms. Temperatures will reach the lower to mid-80s with close to 70% humidity. 

Daytona 500 faces daunting race day forecast

Zach Dean, NASCAR columnist for Outkick, spoke about the possibility of inclement weather having an impact on the Daytona 500, which is set to take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 as of Friday afternoon.

This marks 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."