NASCAR: What's next for the Cup Series after the Daytona 500?

NASCAR fans had to wait an extra day to get the 2024 Cup Series season underway, as rain forced Sunday's Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway to be moved to Monday.

After just the second ever full postponement in the history of the "Great American Race", the full 200-lap distance was able to be run at the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval. Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron won under caution ahead of teammate Alex Bowman.

Now the Cup Series is set to head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Ambetter Health 400.

NASCAR faced with two straight superspeedway races

While Atlanta Motor Speedway has hosted the series' second race before, it has not done so since the repave and reconfiguration in 2021. Since then, races at the track have been considered superspeedway races, as the track now races a lot more like Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway than it does a typical mile-and-a-half oval.

As a result, two of the six superspeedway races on this year's schedule are the first two races on the calendar.

Sunday's race, the Ambetter Health 400, is scheduled to be a 260-lap race around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) Hampton, Georgia oval.

Byron has won at the track in both seasons since the repave and reconfiguration. He won the first race in March 2022, and he won a rain-shortened race in July 2023. Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott took the checkered flag in July 2022, and Team Penske's Joey Logano did so in March 2023.

Fortunately for everybody, the forecast for this weekend's race is much more promising than it was for the Daytona 500.

The Ambetter Health 400 is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Atlanta Motor Speedway starting at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, February 25. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss any of the action!