NASCAR season opener Daytona 500 postponed to Monday due to poor weather

Amidst weather constraints, NASCAR has announced the postponement of its Cup Series season-opening race, the Daytona 500, to Monday, February 19.

With chances of heavy rain in Florida, NASCAR has decided to move forward its first Cup Series race of the season, the Daytona 500, by a day. The green flag for the iconic season opener will now wave at 4 pm ET on Monday.

The big announcement comes on the heels of the sports' governing body earlier postponing the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 race to Monday. Initially scheduled for Saturday, extreme weather conditions rendered the race impossible to conduct on its original date.

With the announcement, Monday will now become a double header at Daytona International Speedway. The Xfinity Series season opener will take place prior to the Daytona 500 race, at 11 am ET.

This isn't the first time inclement weather has disrupted NASCAR's marquee event. Over the past 12 years, rain has forced the postponement of the Daytona 500 to Monday three times, including 2012, 2020, and now 2024.

Saturday's on-track activities were severely impacted by the relentless downpour, leading to the cancellation of the final Daytona 500 practice session. The inclement weather also resulted in a two-hour delay for Xfinity Series qualifying, with only a single round of time trials completed before further rain intervened.

Despite the weather conditions, the season-opening race for the ARCA Menards Series, the Daytona ARCA 200, successfully dodged the adverse conditions by shifting from Saturday afternoon to Friday night, following the Craftsman Truck Series event. Gus Dean emerged victorious in the ARCA season-opener while Nick Sanchez claimed his first Daytona victory in the Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250.

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What is the weather forecast for NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series Daytona races on Monday?

Looking ahead to Monday's rescheduled races, the weather forecast appears more promising. According to Wunderground, the start of the Cup race is expected to experience sunny conditions, with a high of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a minimal 1% chance of rain.

Meanwhile, for the Xfinity Series race scheduled at 11 am ET, partly cloudy skies are predicted, with a high of 56 degrees Fahrenheit and a slightly higher 19% chance of rain.

Two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano is set to start the Cup race from pole position. Front Row Motorsports' Michael McDowell, at #2, will accompany Logano in the front row.

Meanwhile, Xfinity Series rookie Jesse Love, who is making his Daytona debut, will start the United Rentals 300 race from pole position. Love's Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill will start the race in second position.