What is Daytona after dark? All you need to know before the 67th running of the Daytona 500

After tomorrow’s Daytona 500 is all done and dusted, like every year, the countdown for Daytona after dark will begin. So what is this post-race tradition that the NASCAR aficionados are so fond of? Let’s find out.

As explained by Mark Long of Associated Press in a recent video on YouTube, Daytona after dark is something that everyone around the infield of Daytona International Speedway looks forward to each year.

It’s a night of drinking, singing, and playing “adult-entertainment” games. The karaoke-themed bar down the street and the fan-favorite wheelbarrow racing on weekends make things even more exciting. Needless to say, the merrymaking continues till the morning.

Reflecting on the same, Long said:

“Sun's going down at Daytona International Speedway and the party's about to pick up. This is just one of several homemade bars in and around the infield of Daytona International Speedway and they are open long after the racing stops.”

“This is Daytona, and this is what people come here for. This is the infield at Daytona. This is where it all happens long after the racing stops,” he added.

2025 marks the 67th running of the Daytona 500, which has been opening seasons every February since 1982. The 500-miler will be televised from 1:30 pm ET onwards on FOX with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevy Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, is the defending champion of the "Great American Race". He will start fifth alongside RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher, who also won the second 2022 Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona.

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Three-time Daytona 500 champion addresses uncertain weather ahead of upcoming Cup Series bid

Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the starting time for this year’s Daytona 500 was moved back by an hour. Still, things aren’t looking great weather-wise.

According to FOX Weather, Daytona Beach has a 60 percent chance of experiencing downpours tomorrow, along with gusty winds and thunderstorms in the afternoon. There are good chances that the race gets delayed or even shortened due to the rain.

Speaking of this, Denny Hamlin, who won the Daytona 500 thrice with Joe Gibbs Racing, said (via First Coast News):

“I'm hoping we avoid it. I mean, fingers crossed. We can't control the weather, but it's the one event that seems to be sensitive as far as weather’s concerned.”

Hamlin is the fourth driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the crown jewel event in back-to-back seasons (2019, 2020), etching his name alongside Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Sterling Marlin. Tomorrow, Hamlin will start eighth from Row 4 alongside Kaulig Racing driver Ty Dillon.

Hamlin also holds the record for most wins without a championship. He has made the coveted Championship 4 four times in the past, but never in the NextGen era.