NASCAR is making room for the NFL and Super Bowl LXI by moving the 2027 Daytona 500 off Presidents’ Day Weekend.
The Daytona 500 has long been associated with Presidents’ Day Weekend, running that Sunday every year from 1971-2011, and again since 2018. But that will change in 2027, when NASCAR will move its premiere and premier event one week later to Sunday Feb. 21, avoiding a head-to-head clash with Super Bowl LXI.
With the NFL continuing to expand and elongate its schedule, we knew a time would come where the Super Bowl and Daytona 500 were eventually slated to take place on the same day. NASCAR believed it was going to happen much sooner, which is why the moved the 2012 Daytona 500 when the NFL was discussing an 18-game regular season schedule. But with the NFL failing to make that move, NASCAR opted to shift the Daytona 500 back to Presidents’ Day Weekend in 2018.
Much to the excitement of many NFL fans, Super Bowl LXI is scheduled for Feb. 14, 2027, Presidents’ Day Weekend. And knowing they have no chance of competing with the NFL, NASCAR is giving their fans plenty of time to adjust to the change.
“We have fans from all 50 states and dozens of countries who look forward to kicking off the NASCAR season with us at ‘The World Center of Racing,’ and we know many of them make their travel and lodging plans well in advance for the trip,” said president of Daytona International Speedway, Frank Kelleher. “As the 2027 date shifts to Feb. 21, we wanted to give our amazing and loyal fans plenty of opportunity to prepare to be in Daytona Beach for the excitement ‘The Great American Race’ provides each year.”
Longtime Fox Sports announcer and voice of the Daytona 500 Mike Joy previously told Awful Announcing he wouldn’t mind if NASCAR ran the event as a lead-in to the Super Bowl to take advantage of the fact that most people will be home. The Daytona 500 could provide a viable option of counter-programming to the hours of Super Bowl pregame shows.
But what happens if there’s a weather delay? NASCAR runs the risk of no one watching once the Super Bowl starts. Clearly, NASCAR wasn’t interested in trying a head-to-head matchup, opting to make what seemed like the obvious decision of keeping the Daytona 500 at a week’s distance from the Super Bowl.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com