Daytona 500 race postponed due to weather concerns

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona 500 has been postponed due to inclement weather, NASCAR announced on their X account, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday morning.

The race has been rescheduled to Monday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m., creating the first-ever doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race that will take place that day at 11 a.m.

The original broadcast networks remain unchanged. The NASCAR Xfinity Series race will still broadcast on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The DAYTONA 500 will be live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Fans with Saturday grandstand tickets and admission to the Hard Rock Bet Fanzone may attend both the NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the DAYTONA 500, officials said. 

Previous racing events this weekend

The Arca Hard Rock Bet 200 was moved to Friday night and ran after the truck series race. Rain has been moving in on Central Florida, but luckily racers and fans got in as much action as they could.

The inclement weather definitely isn’t what race fans what to see this weekend, but they say that they’re happy to be here and glad they’ve experienced what they’ve been able to see.

Wayne Stevens said he’s lived in the Daytona area for decades and he’s staying optimistic.

“I’ve lived in Florida for 52 years, moved here in 1972. It would rain across there and the sun would be out over here, so we don’t know,” he said.

NASCAR does have a weather policy for fans, which can allow them to exchange tickets when races are postponed or rescheduled.

Could delays boost local businesses?

Delays could mean a boost for businesses already banking on the busy weekend. During rain delays, people still have to eat says a local server.

“People are going to need something to do (…) and somewhere to eat, so hopefully we can get people to come out of their little shell and come check us out,” said Bella Robinson, who works at Adam’s Egg in Daytona Beach.

Business always spikes this time of year at the restaurant, but this year has been a little different.

Robinson says she hasn’t seen as many people as in years past. She believes more people are choosing to stay closer to the racetrack.

“I think people are being very careful with what they’re spending money on and with these events costing so much already, I think they’re being really careful about what they spend on food and supplies and gas – anything extra is just kind of on the back burner this year, because it’s definitely not been as busy as normal,” she said.

Even with the possible foot traffic from washed out race fans, the rain can be a bummer.

“The 500, the Rolex, the Super Motocross: they all rain out every single year – but, oh well, we play in the rain here, so it doesn’t matter,” said Robinson. 

If the rain does draw in more customers, Robinson says she’ll be willing to serve them a little longer until they can head back to the racetrack.