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Daytona 500 Weather Forecast: How Rain & Thunderstorms Could Affect The Race
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
Get to know Jared Turner betterPublished12 Feb 2025
Weather in Central Florida is almost always a guessing game, especially in the winter months. Just ask the NASCAR Cup Series drivers and fans who convene each February for NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500 at famous Daytona International Speedway.
Unfortunately, the weather for Sunday’s 67th running of The Great American Race looks predictably unpredictable based on preliminary forecasts.
All hope isn’t lost for running the Daytona 500 on schedule, however.
The Daytona 500 Weather Forecast Is Iffy But Not Doomed
The Daytona 500 is set to get underway just after 2:30 p.m. EST Sunday, with FOX Sports’ live TV coverage beginning right at 2. In reality, though, the start time is highly tentative. That’s because forecasters expect a cold front to arrive in the Daytona Beach area around midday Sunday.
According to the National Weather Service as of 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Sunday’s daytime forecast for the Daytona Beach area includes a 50 percent chance of showers. Wind gusts could surge as high as 30 mph. Sunday night looks a bit more promising — the National Weather Service is calling for partly cloudy skies.
The Weather Channel says that partly cloudy skies during the morning hours on Sunday will give way to occasional showers in the afternoon. Rain chances are at 60 percent, with winds potentially gusting at over 40 mph. The Weather Channel’s outlook for Sunday night in Daytona is better. “Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight,” Weather.com says.
Meanwhile, local meteorologists are also weighing in on the Daytona 500 weather forecast. Of course, not even the most decorated weather expert can say exactly how much rain will or won’t fall — and when. But that doesn’t keep them from offering their hot takes.
A cold front coming this weekend looks to bring rain by Sunday midday, just as the Daytona 500 kicks off. There's a chance the race gets delayed until later in the afternoon since the track must be dry. The hopeful news is that since it's 6 days away, the forecast could shift. pic.twitter.com/OI7dUdlOxf
— Brooks Garner (@BrooksWeather) February 10, 2025
🚨 FINALLY … A COLD FRONT🚨
Cold front will arrive Sunday with scattered showers and maybe a thunderstorm. There may be some impacts to the #Daytona500. Much cooler weather next week, but not nearly as cold as it was back in January. #Florida pic.twitter.com/E9gHbqgWDN
— Paul Dellegatto⚡️FOX (@PaulFox13) February 11, 2025
Looking at 50/50 rain and thunderstorm chances for the Daytona 500 on Sunday as a cold front moves in. It is still early, but something to watch this weekend. @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/DOXN3wXzaL
— Brandon Lawson (@wxbrandon9) February 11, 2025
Uncertain Daytona 500 Weather Forecasts Are Nothing New
The good news is that even if buckets of rain pour down on Daytona International Speedway during the day on Sunday, the 2.5-mile track is equipped with a full-fledged, state-of-the-art lighting system. That means NASCAR will likely be willing to start the race as late as 9 p.m. if NASCAR officials believe the weather from that point on will allow drivers to run the race in its entirety.
Like every other race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the Daytona 500 doesn’t have to go the advertised distance for NASCAR to consider it an official race, however. If the Daytona 500 is past its halfway point of 100 laps and 250 miles, NASCAR can call it an official race if rain returns or the race is simply running too late into the night for drivers to feel safe.
Based on weather models, the lighting situation at Daytona and NASCAR’s sophisticated track-drying machinery, the odds seem reasonably good that NASCAR will be able to get the Daytona 500 in on Sunday. Whether the race features the advertised 200 laps and 500 miles, though, seems a bit more in question.
This much is certain: If weather impacts the Daytona 500 or forces a postponement until Monday, it won’t be the first time. Just last year, NASCAR moved the Daytona 500 back a day because of persistent rain. NASCAR did the same in 2020 and 2012. In 2021 and 2014, soggy weather delayed the finish by several hours. And in 2009, rain forced NASCAR to call the race early.
At least the drivers who ultimately scored a Daytona 500 victory in those weather-plagued years — Matt Kenseth (2009 and 2012), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014), Denny Hamlin (2020), Michael McDowell (2021) and William Byron (2024) — didn’t seem to mind the wet stuff very much.
