Why is the 2025 Daytona 500 start time moved up? Reason explored

The 2025 Daytona 500 race was set to start at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). However, the start time has been moved up by an hour due to the latest weather forecast which reports potential inclement weather and threat of rain.

As a result, the Daytona 500 will now start at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) with the green flag expected at around 2:00 p.m. ET. As per the reports, parking lots at the venue will open at 6:00 a.m. local time as the fans are advised to reach the venue early due to the increased security measures.

According to the forecast, there is a 20% chance of rain starting at noon at the Daytona International Speedway, getting as high as 50% around 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 16, 2025. The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday in 2024 because of the inclement weather, hence NASCAR is taking precautions and moving up the 2025 race to avoid the rain.

NASCAR didn't race in the rain before the 2020 season when the wet weather tires debuted and ran at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Since then, multiple Cup Series races on street/permanent circuits have run in the wet, but the same is not applicable to superspeedways.

Unlike road courses, where the top speed isn't as high, superspeedways require cars to be at much higher average speed, and the downforce levels are also slashed because of the same, making it unsafe to run the race in the wet conditions.

As a result, the Daytona 500 will not be run in case the track gets wet beyond a point where slicks cannot be used.

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Kyle Busch on winning his first Daytona 500 on his 20th attempt

NASCAR: Duel 1 at DAYTONA - Source: Imagn

Kyle Busch debuted in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2004 as a part-time entry before making his full-time debut in 2005 with Hendrick Motorsports. 2005 was his first ever Daytona 500. Since then, Busch has participated in every race at Daytona except the 2015 race after he crashed during the Xfinity race.

The P2 finish in 2019 was Busch’s best result at the prestigious race, as the 2025 race will be his 20th attempt at winning the Daytona 500. Speaking about the same, Busch said (via NASCAR):

"Twenty years of trying. There was another storied racer of the past that won on his 20th try and that was a pretty big deal. He was a former RCR driver as well, so it’d certainly be nice to win that race and do it with RCR in the No. 8 Zone Chevrolet. So that would be pretty cool.”

Kyle Busch detailed Dale Earnhardt's example, who won the 1998 Daytona 500 on his 20th attempt, as he plans on replicating the same this year.