The biggest race on the NASCAR calendar will get going a bit earlier than anticipated.
On Saturday, NASCAR officials decided to move the Daytona 500 up one hour, from 3:13 p.m. to a new start time of 2:13 p.m. ET, due to inclement weather in the forecast. Fox’s broadcast will similarly begin an hour earlier than scheduled, with the network prepared to begin its official race coverage at 1:30 p.m. ET. Fox will come on the air with NASCAR RaceDay at 11:30 a.m. ET.
The wait is over! The #Daytona500 is live on FOX today — one hour early! 🔥🏁
📺: Coverage begins at 11:30 AM ET on FOX with NASCAR RACEDAY pic.twitter.com/s69XrN1JWP
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) February 15, 2026
The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi first reported the shift on Saturday.
The Daytona Beach area is currently forecast to receive rain in the evening, which could jeopardize the completion of the 200-lap race. Moving the green flag up an hour should help NASCAR get the full event in on time.
It’s the second consecutive year that NASCAR has had to shift the Daytona 500’s start time due to inclement weather. Last year, green flag was initially scheduled for 2:50 p.m. but was moved up to 1:46 p.m., though the green flag didn’t actually wave until 2:06 p.m. due to the addition of ceremonial laps to acknowledge President Trump’s attendance.
Two years ago, Daytona International Speedway was forced to reschedule the race from Sunday to Monday to avoid adverse weather conditions. The last Daytona 500 to begin at its originally scheduled time was in 2023.
Mike Joy, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Larry McReynolds, and Jamie McMurray will be on the call for Fox when the green flag waves early Sunday afternoon.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.