NASCAR Adjusts Start Time of Sunday's Daytona 500 Due to Forecast
NASCAR has issued an update to the start time for Sunday's 67th annual Daytona 500. The start has been moved up to 1:30 PM ET on Sunday, February 16, an adjustment of one hour from the originally scheduled start time of the race.
Sunday's weather forecast for Daytona Beach, Florida isn't favorable, and the potential of storms throughout Sunday led to the adjustment of the race's start time.
Daytona International Speedway says that gates and hospitality areas around the 2.5-mile speedway will now open at 9 AM ET on Sunday, and the Hard Rock Bet Fanzone will open to the public at 8:30 AM ET. The track will open parking lots around the facility at 6 AM ET on Daytona 500 race day morning.
The race track is encouraging fans and all attendees of the Daytona 500 to make a concerted effort to arrive at the facility early as Daytona International Speedway will have increased security measures for The Great American Race.
While it hasn't been officially announced, it is expected that United States President Donald Trump could be in attendance for the Daytona 500, which has led to heightened security measures around the facility for the Daytona 500.
Even though the start of Sunday's Daytona 500 has been bumped up an hour, Daytona International Speedway has confirmed that Pitbull will still perform his pre-race concert, and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will perform a flyover following the National Anthem.
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.