“Sometimes the rain does help”: Fans give their verdict on NASCAR’s handling of the Daytona 500

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron kicked off the 2025 NASCAR season with his second Daytona 500 victory. The 67th running of the Daytona 500 was affected by rain and ended in chaotic fashion, with Byron sneaking past the wreckage to take the checkered flag.

With the threat of rain looming over the track, 47th US President Donald Trump paced the field in his limousine before the green flag. Rain arrived much earlier than anticipated as NASCAR red-flagged the race after just 11 laps. After a 3-hour stoppage, there was another brief red flag stint, before the race was green-flagged to complete the scheduled 500 miles under lights.

NASCAR fans had mixed reactions to the rain stoppage and how officials managed the situation. Some fans appreciated the decision to run most of the race under the lights, believing the rain delays and cautions ultimately contributed to more exciting racing. However, others argued that NASCAR should have postponed the race altogether, given the clear forecast indicating rain.

In Jeff Gluck's weekly 'Good Race' poll, one comment read:

"Loved they RACED more vs fuel save. Sometimes the rain does help."

Another NASCAR fan suggested the officials change the start time to avoid lengthy red flag stoppages.

"I enjoyed it. One thing I’d change is PLEASE just change the start time or plan around if you know there’s gonna be rain"

Another fan echoed a similar opinion, stating:

"Good race, but the delays are an issue. Plan time around the race and then things get mixed up. I’m glad they ran it last night and not today."

Here are a few other reactions to the various incidents in the race, including Cole Custer initiating two major crashes, the final lap wreck, and debris cautions preventing the fuel-saving strategies.

"Ask me if I like Cole Custer....." a NASCAR fan commented.

"Fuel savings and crashes are not racing," an X user opined.

"genuinely don’t understand how someone could’ve enjoyed that race unless they’re a byron fan," another X user wrote.

"For the Gen 7, I think it was a good race. Cautions coming out when they did to get rid of fuel saving was a big part," one X user commented.

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Carson Hocevar responds to NASCAR Insider's Good Race poll

Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar remained out of sight for the entire 500 miles of the race, as his #77 Chevy was bugged with fuel pump issues. He was credited with a 30th-place finish, retiring just a few laps before the finish.

Responding to Jeff Gluck's good race poll, Hocevar humorously referenced his position at the back of the pack with a SpongeBob SquarePants meme. He wrote:

"hi jeff, just in case you were wondering, yes i was in the race. rewatching the race i caught myself doing this in my television to point where i was running in the pack. (image attached) thanks" the caption read.

The Good Race poll is currently trending at 71.1% with over 22,500 votes on X, indicating that a majority of viewers enjoyed the race. NASCAR now heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Ambetter Health 400, scheduled for February 23.