NASCAR has moved up the start time for Sunday’s Daytona 500 by one hour because of potential inclement weather forecasted for the Daytona Beach area later in the day.
The 68th running of The Great American Race will now begin at 1:30 p.m. ET at Daytona International Speedway.
The event was originally scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.
Track gates and hospitality areas will open at 9 a.m. ET, while the Hard Rock Bet Fanzone will open at 8:30 a.m. Parking lots are set to open at 6 a.m.
Pre-race festivities remain unchanged.
Fans in attendance will see a performance by Miranda Lambert, and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will conduct the traditional flyover following the national anthem.
The Daytona 500 opens the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season and features a purse of more than $31 million, the largest in motorsports for NASCAR’s most prestigious event.
Kyle Busch will start from the pole position and lead the field to green. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe will join him on the front row.
William Byron, the two-time defending winner of the race, is attempting to become the first driver to win the Daytona 500 three consecutive times.
The Daytona 500 will be broadcast live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio as originally scheduled.
Fans can find additional details on pre-race festivities and the updated schedule in the event’s fan guide at daytonainternationalspeedway.com.
