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.
One family that came all the way from Canada said they will be staying in the area until tomorrow.
“The excitement, even though we never got into the track yet, is just starting to build,” said attendee Allen Whiteman. “Had trouble sleeping last night and it won’t be any different tonight.”
Whiteman’s family said despite the rain, they plan to make the best of their trip, as this is their first time at Daytona Beach.
The last time the Daytona 500 was postponed a full day was in 2012. NASCAR completed 20 laps in 2020 before rain halted activity, and the race resumed the next day.
In making the early call Sunday, NASCAR prevented fans from sitting in the rain awaiting a decision on whether the race would proceed. It continued a willingness NASCAR exhibited earlier this month when it moved the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum up a full day on little notice because of poor weather headed toward Los Angeles.
Spire Motorsports driver Zane Smith offered on social media to mingle with fans Sunday.
“Hate the rain won today but going to try to make the most of it and meet some of you guys,” Smith tweeted. “Let me know your camp spot and I will try to come find you! Might be able to drag a few other drivers along too.”
Added Spire teammate Carson Hocevar: “Unfortunate cards we have been dealt as a sport, but probably the right call. Feel bad for the fans that saved up for this trip and now can’t stay.”
Despite the postponement, NASCAR and Daytona continued many of the prerace activities, including celebrity visits from singer and Trackhouse Racing co-owner Pitbull and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Pitbull’s prerace concert was scrapped. He already agreed to return next year and perform then. Johnson is the race’s grand marshal, tasked with delivering the command for drivers to start their engines.
“Everything happens for a reason,” said Madison Marsh, the reigning Miss America who was scheduled to drive the pace car and lead the field to the green flag. “Although I would have loved, obviously, to get to drive the pace car, there have been so many other parts of this weekend that have been fantastic.
“Just getting to be a part of that, I’m never going to regret coming here. … Obviously would have liked to drive, but everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to.”
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.
Another restaurant said they still saw a boost in revenue with the weekend’s events.
C’s Waffles has been around for 9½ years in Daytona Beach. With several other locations, including two in New Smyrna, the restaurant is family-owned and takes special pride in their delicious waffles. The restaurant gets its name from the family’s last name — “Cotelesse.”
“This is one of the busiest weeks of the year,” said C’s Waffles General Manager Chris Cotelesse. “From about the beginning of February, ’til about the middle of April, this whole area is flooded with new faces.”
The Associated Press has contributed to this story.
