Daytona 500 Weather: Forecast for 2026 Race at Daytona International Speedway

The NASCAR season opens Sunday with the 68th edition of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The broadcast starts at 12:30 p.m. ET and the green flag is at 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX and the FOX Sports app).

What does the weather look like? 

Sunday’s low is 59 degrees and the high is 78, according to FOX Weather as of Monday evening. There’s a 41% chance of rain, slated to pour between 1 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET, so it could potentially disrupt the race. There are also winds heading south at 16 miles per hour. The sun will set at 6:14 p.m. ET. 

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Last season’s Daytona 500 was affected by rain. There were two delays that totaled more than three hours and 30 minutes, but after it finally resumed, William Byron ultimately won the race. Rain has also already been a story for the 2026 season of NASCAR. The Clash at Bowman Gray, the exhibition race last Wednesday in North Carolina, took three and a half hours to complete, and included 17 caution flags and dicey racing on a wet track.

[NASCAR: 4 Takeaways From NASCAR’s Clash]

Mother Nature often affects the event known as “The Great American Race.” It could certainly impact Sunday’s result. But skies should be clear for the remainder of the race week and weekend, from Wednesday through Saturday. 

That includes Practice 1 on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. ET and qualifying on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. ET. Then on Thursday the cars are split into two duels — Duel 1 is at 7 p.m. ET and Duel 2 starts at 8:45 p.m. ET. 

Practice 2 will be held Friday at 5:35 p.m. ET. Then the weekend starts with Practice 3 on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. 

Each of those events should proceed without weather obstacles, according to FOX weather. 

Sunday’s race could be a different story.