Daytona 500 postponed by Florida rain in first-ever NASCAR Monday doubleheader
Monday's weather is expected to be much better across Central Florida, with clouds gradually giving way to sunshine and high temperatures rising into the lower 60s by the afternoon. With both races at Daytona International Speedway postponed, the Daytona 500 and Xfinity Series season opener will mark the first-ever doubleheader on a Monday.
The 66th annual Daytona 500 will not proceed as scheduled Sunday afternoon as a slow-moving frontal boundary has postponed the "Super Bowl of NASCAR."
The first round of precipitation reached Central Florida on Saturday, with significant rain chances lingering through the day Sunday.
NASCAR officials made the decision Sunday morning to postpone the Daytona 500 until 4 p.m. EST Monday because of the rainy weather across Central Florida this weekend. The race was originally scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST Sunday.
On Saturday, NASCAR officials announced that the Xfinity Series season opener that was originally scheduled for Saturday at Daytona had also been postponed until Monday, with a scheduled start time at 11 a.m. EST.
The two races at Daytona International Speedway will mark the first-ever doubleheader on a Monday, according to NASCAR.
FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell was in Daytona, where NASCAR fans were camped out for the races. Race fans will have to wait another day to see the NASCAR events.
Daytona 500 delayed due to rain, doubleheader set for Monday
FOX NASCAR Insider reporter Bob Pockrass talks about the rain delay at the Daytona 500 and why the decision to postpone was made.
FOX NASCAR Insider reporter Bob Pockrass said this is only the third Daytona 500 to be postponed but rain does postpone other NASCAR races about two or three times a year.
"I think the teams are happy that NASCAR made the decision early," Pockrass said.
"It’s almost like (a band of rain) is pointed at the southern states into Central Florida," FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera said. "By the way, the wettest that they’ve had during the Daytona is almost an inch of rain, 0.98 (inches). And that was when there was a delay of more than six hours – six hours and 22 minutes – and that was back in 2014."
Forecast models show between 1 and 3 inches of rain falling over the Interstate 4 corridor, and without protection over the 2.5-mile track, much of the rain will fall over the Daytona International Speedway.
(FOX Weather)
"Simply put, the latter half of the weekend looks soggy," The FOX Forecast Center said.
NASCAR USES SPECIALTY TRACK-DRYING TECHNOLOGY TO RID RAIN FROM RACETRACKS
The usual 200 laps take three to four hours to complete, and any delays can add substantial time to the race.
(FOX Weather)
Races in both 2020 and 2021 were impacted by rain, with the 2020 contest being postponed until the next day due to persistent rainfall.
FROM IN-CAR TEMPERATURES AS HIGH AS THE 130S TO RAIN, HOW WEATHER IMPACTS NASCAR RACES
What a weather delay means
According to NASCAR, track drying can take anywhere from 90 to 180 minutes using giant jet dryers.
"We use our buffalo turbine air blowers, and we use our jet dryers to combine and apply heat to the surface, just like you would think of a hair dryer," Thomas Davenport, a manager of track services for NASCAR, previously stated. "You know when you’re drying your hair out, right, you use the towel and ring your hair out to get the excess moisture off and then the hair dryer is just getting what’s left behind. It’s the same way with the jet dryers. Jet dryers come behind and take out the rest of that moisture that’s in the top layer of the asphalt."
(FOX Weather)
Along with precipitation on Sunday, cooler weather will come, with temperatures more than 10 degrees below average.
A typical mid-February day would see high temperatures in the mid-70s, but the rain and a stiff wind out of the north between 20 and 25 mph will hold the temperature closer to 60 degrees.
Umbrellas are prohibited from the grandstands, meaning coats and rain ponchos will be the only resources to keep people dry and out of the elements.
Monday's weather is expected to be much better across Central Florida, with clouds gradually giving way to sunshine and high temperatures rising into the lower 60s by the afternoon.
NASCAR USES SPECIALTY TRACK-DRYING TECHNOLOGY TO RID THE RAIN FROM RACETRACKS
FILE: Cars are seen on pit road during a rain delay of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2014 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
(Robert Laberge/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Even with the Daytona 500 officially postponed, fans can use their tickets at any sanctioned NASCAR event.
Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and Joey Logano are all expected to participate in the race. Still, the event is one of the most unpredictable in stock car racing.
You can watch the 66th annual Daytona 500 on FOX and FOXSports.com.
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