UPDATE: Full Speedweeks Weather Forecast for the 2026 Daytona 500
What’s Happening? The 2026 NASCAR Season is finally here, and the Daytona 500 marks the beginning of a new season. Whether…
NASCAR’s Daytona 500 is just days away, but per the usual, the talk is not about who will win the race, but if the race will face yet another weather setback in 2026.
What’s Happening? The 2026 NASCAR Season is finally here, and the Daytona 500 marks the beginning of a new season. Whether…
The bad relationship between the Daytona 500 and bad weather is something that NASCAR fans are used to.
In 2025, the Daytona 500 was delayed multiple hours due to rain and thunderstorms in the Daytona Beach area. One year before that, the race was postponed and pushed to Monday due to rain.
When forecasts rolled in this week for this year’s event, to the surprise of a few, there was a spike in precipitation potential right before the drop of the green flag scheduled for 2:30.
Per the National Weather Service, the precipitation potential skyrockets from 23% at Noon EST to 63% at 1 PM. That high percentage stays up throughout the scheduled race time, again rising to 70% at 7 PM, lasting well into the night.
As of right now, fans aren’t sure what to make of this forecast, as, just like the superspeedway racing in the Daytona 500, the weather in Florida is as wild as it gets.
What does it mean if there is a “likely” chance of rain? How long could this storm last? And most importantly, will rain wash out another Daytona 500?
So we asked an expert to tell us what he thinks raceday might look like.
Many race fans know Mike Boylan of Mike’s Weather Page through MWP’s sponsorship of cars on the grid over the past few seasons, and his online coverage of race weekend weather.
In his eyes, Sunday’s storm will be a “race within a race,” saying that the weather pattern is showing a solid weather system that will pass through with good pace, meaning a storm is for sure coming.
While there will be some form of rain, that doesn’t mean the race is set to be a washout, however.
“It’s not 100% washout at all,” Boylan told the Daily Downforce. “We have to be aware that there is a system coming, it’s pretty much guaranteed rain will be falling sometime Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening, the heavy stuff, and it’s going to move out.”
Even though fans can anticipate some form of rainfall, there is no reason to cry weather delay, as there is a chance the race could simply be pushed back and run at night under the lights of the speedway, as it did in 2025.
If the storm is worse than expected, Boylan even said that if the race is moved to Monday, something he called a worst-case scenario, the weather would be “perfect” and the storm would not linger into the new week.
If there’s anything NASCAR fans hate more than a rain delay, it’s a lightning delay, and Boylan says recent discussions from the National Weather Service suggest that there is a chance, albeit a low one, that lightning will be a part of Sunday’s weather pattern.
“There’s always lightning, there’s always that chance of random lightning strikes which clears out the grandstands,” Boylan said. “There’s a low chance of lightning, but they [the National Weather Service] did mention lightning.”
While that might be a disappointment to some, Boylan advises fans not to give up and roll out of Daytona Beach, but rather to “Enjoy it. There could be a rain delay and the race is definitely gonna run.”
If you are planning on being at the track and want to get an accurate look at what’s headed your way, Boylan suggests sticking with the National Weather Service’s webpage for an accurate reading, as some weather apps can be tricky to get a solid reading from.
“The National Weather Service offices update frequently,” Boylan said. “Apps sometimes are running off of one sole model, it’s not taking into account that the model might be wrong. So many people are in love with their apps, but something like this, definitely I would lean on National Weather Service forecast. They specifically will do Daytona Beach and it updates real frequently.”
For more updates on this weekend’s weather, make sure to keep up with us on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.