NASCAR: Daytona 500 weather forecast – Another rainout looming?

The last two Daytona 500s have been drastically altered due to rain. Could the same hold true for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season opener?

After an offseason of roughly three and a half months, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway this Sunday, February 20 with the 64th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson took the pole position for this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked oval in Daytona Beach, Florida in the single-car qualifying session on Wednesday night.

The full 40-car starting lineup for Sunday afternoon’s race was solidified in the Bluegreen Vacations Duels on Thursday night.

But will the 2022 season actually start as scheduled this Sunday afternoon?

The last two runnings of the “Great American Race” were drastically altered by rain, and considering the fact that the Daytona 500 is, in fact, still taking place in Daytona Beach, there has been the inevitable talk leading up to race weekend about the possibility of rain making it three in a row.

In 2020, the race got started on Sunday afternoon, but it was quickly halted and pushed back to Monday. Last year, the race also got started in Sunday afternoon, but after a delay of several hours, it was not resumed until late in the evening. The checkered flag did not fly until early Monday morning.

What does the 2022 edition have in store?

Fortunately this year, things look quite a bit different than the last two years.

According to The Weather Channel, there is only a 10% chance of rain throughout Sunday, with no more than an 8% chance after 2:30 p.m. ET, which is when the race is scheduled to get underway.

So be sure to tune in to Fox at 2:30 p.m. ET tomorrow afternoon for the live broadcast of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway. If you have not yet begun your free trial of FuboTV, now would be a great time to do so!