After the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race was finally run on Wednesday night following a total of three snow-related postponements, NASCAR fans were very much looking forward to getting to Daytona Beach, Florida for the official 2026 Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500.
While there were even calls from fans to move the Clash back to Daytona International Speedway from Bowman Gray Stadium to avoid the future threat of winter weather, the fact is that weather tends to play a factor, specifically in recent years, when it comes to the "Great American Race" as well.
In 2020, the race was started on Sunday, stopped, and finished on Monday due to rain. In 2021, the race resumed Sunday night after starting and stopping on Sunday afternoon, but it didn't conclude until the early hours of Monday morning.
In 2024, the race was postponed from Sunday to Monday entirely, and in 2025, it was stopped on Sunday after only a handful of laps were run. It was still able to be run in its entirety on Sunday, but only after yet another lengthy rain delay.
Here we are in 2026, and the chance of precipitation continues to increase as race day nears.
According to The Weather Channel, there is no higher than a 16% chance of rain at the track all week, which does bode well for Wednesday's practice and qualifying sessions, plus Thursday night's two 60-lap America 250 Florida Duel races around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked oval.
It should also bode well for the Truck Series season opener on Friday, and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season opener on Saturday.
But Sunday is now expected to see rain all day, with a 40% chance early on and a 60% chance as the afternoon progresses into the evening hours. AccuWeather also specifically states that "rain can delay or postpone the race", to go along with its prediction for a possible thunderstorm.
It could once again prove to be a challenge to get the entire race run on its scheduled date. No Daytona 500 has run completely unaffected by precipitation since 2023.
Of course, the forecast could also be fair and clear for Sunday the next time anybody checks; it is Florida we're talking about.
Weather permitting, Fox is set to provide live coverage of the 68th annual Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 15. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss any of the action!