Daytona 500 Start Time Moved to 1:30 EST

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 13: A detail view of 2026 Daytona 500 hauler at Daytona International Speedway on February 13, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

What’s Happening?

What’s happening, race fans? We’ve got some big news concerning tomorrow’s Daytona 500. Taking the pending inclement weather into consideration, the start time of the 68th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, will move up one hour to start at 1:30 PM EST. NASCAR Race Day will also move up to start at 11:30 AM EST.

  • Weather is always a point of concern when we go to Daytona. Pop-up showers are a routine threat to put a damper on things, no pun intended. 2026 is no different. This year, the big threat of rain was due to hit on Sunday in the late afternoon/evening hours. NASCAR is trying to get ahead of that.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on InstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

Share this: