After a stellar run without weather-affected races, NASCAR is forced to be proactive ahead of the 2026 Daytona 500 and move up the start time by one hour due to a heavy chance of rain Sunday evening.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla - The Daytona 500 has a new start time: The race will now start at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, an hour earlier than originally scheduled, due to the potential for weather later in the day.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR is moving the start time of Sunday’s Daytona 500 up one hour because of the threat of inclement weather. The green flag is now scheduled for 2:13 p.m. Eastern at Daytona ...

The weather has always been an issue at the Daytona 500. A region of the country where rain is very common, it affected the big race in 2025, delaying the event for hours. With the threat of rain ...

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