NASCAR has advanced the start time for Sunday’s Daytona 500 by one hour because of threatening weather later in the day.
The sanctioning body announced Friday that the race start time on Fox is now 1:30 p.m., and the green flag is expected around 2 p.m.
NEWS: The start time for the #DAYTONA500 has been moved up to 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Watch The Great American Race on FOX or listen on @MRNRadio and @SiriusXMNASCAR Radio. pic.twitter.com/Mk2UE2MrOM
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 14, 2025
Pre-race coverage on Fox Sports begins at 11:30 a.m.
Rain is expected to roll into the Daytona Beach area around 4 p.m. The earlier start allows a better chance for the race to reach the halfway point, which is enough for an official race.
The earlier start time could create more headaches for fans attending the race. They face longer expected wait times for “enhanced security measures” at speedway gates, leading to widespread speculation President Donald Trump will attend the race.
NASCAR announces the start time of the Daytona 500 has been moved to 1:30 pm ET. Also says “enhanced security measures” will be in place. Expecting President Trump to attend, though that has not been officially confirmed.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 14, 2025
The Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s season-opener for the Cup Series and its most popular event, but inclement weather has hurt TV ratings in recent years. Last year’s race, which was moved from Sunday to Monday because of rain, drew the second-lowest ratings in race history. The 2020 and 2021 Daytona 500s also faced rain delays that hurt ratings.
