Daytona 500 Forecast Update: Weather Outlook for NASCAR Cup Series Opener

Before Daytona Day even arrived, Mother Nature's impact on the Daytona 500 was already felt. In anticipation of inclement weather Sunday in Daytona Beach, Florida for the NASCAR Cup Series season opener, NASCAR announced Saturday it was bumping the start time up an hour in hopes of avoiding a weather delay - a familiar occurrence at Daytona International Speedway. The 2026 Daytona 500 is now set for Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX with the green flag scheduled to fly around 2:13 p.m. ET. FOX's pre-race show, "NASCAR RaceDay," will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET. Here's what you need to know about the Daytona Beach forecast for the 2026 Daytona 500. What's the weather forecast for the Daytona 500 on Sunday? According to FOX Weather, the Daytona Beach forecast includes a 7 percent chance of rain expected around 4 p.m. ET and it increases to 12 percent around 7 p.m. ET, as of Sunday morning. Thunderstorms are expected during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies after midnight. The high will be 79 degrees Farenheit and a low of 59 degrees with six mile an hour winds and a 6:13 p.m. ET sunset - but the iconic Daytona track, of course, has lights. "For the Daytona 500 on Sunday, the longer the race goes, the worse the forecast gets," per the FOX Forecast Center. "A storm system will be moving in from the west and is poised to reach the Daytona Beach area by the early evening. The FOX Forecast Center is tracking mostly cloudy skies with highs in the upper 70s for the duration of the race. However, should the race run long, light to moderate rain will begin to move in starting around 6 p.m. ET. A few lightning strikes will be possible around the race track, but not until after 8 p.m. ET." Last season's Daytona 500 was affected by rain. There were two delays that totaled more than three hours and 30 minutes, but after it finally resumed, William Byron ultimately won the race. Rain has also already been a story for the 2026 season of NASCAR. The Clash at Bowman Gray, the preseason exhibition race in North Carolina, took three and a half hours to complete and included 17 caution flags and dicey racing on a wet track. Hopefully, the 2026 Daytona 500 will carry on with no weather delays thanks to an earlier start time.