As Uncertainty Around Daytona 500 Thickens, NASCAR Incapable of Rescuing the Great American Race in Clash Style

Merely days remain for the Stock Car Racing’s biggest spectacle – The Daytona 500. But NASCAR’s biggest enemy is back again threatening the event as uncertainty looms over the “Great American Race.” While the sanctioning body managed to execute the non-point fixture at the L.A Coliseum by rescheduling it to a day prior, rescheduling the mammoth 200-lap event at Daytona International Speedway isn’t a walk in the park courtesy of several underlying factors.

“Everything depends on forecasts, broadcast options,” wrote Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass who addressed a fan’s anxiety, trying to calm down his nerves by citing the facts about the race. In short, moving the race to another day is simply out of the question. NASCAR will have to make major amends to give the fans their fair share of high-speed action.

Why NASCAR cannot reschedule Daytona 500

Just to key in the major differences, the Clash at the Coliseum was a non-points exhibition race intended to tease the fandom with a spectacular season, tickling their curiosity. With the weather playing spoilsport for the pre-season starter, the sanctioning body had the option to prepone it to a day prior to Saturday, ensuring that the fans got what they needed – a quarter-mile thriller.

While NASCAR got some success out of it to some extent, that move is probably not possible with the biggest spectacle of the season at Daytona International Speedway. The field of 40-plus drivers is set to enthrall the crowd on February 18th and with the rest of the arrangement already set for the go, going back on the event is simply out of the question.

Pockrass explains why, “Typically weather decisions are not made until day prior. What does make this different than most race weekends is Sunday’s full schedule of pageantry & events that make it more difficult to run an additional race that day,” said the senior reporter, answering a worried fan who shared his skepticism online bluntly.

The fixture is packed; newly crowned Miss America, Madison Marsh will serve the honorary position of the pace car driver and iconic music artist DJ Khaled will wave off the green flag, commencing the action at the 2.5-mile speedway. Moreover, the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, will be the race’s grand marshal, calling the shots and moving the race to any day will jeopardize the whole bonanza.

Having said this, the possibility of moving the race day cannot be ruled out. After all, it has happened before.

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Weather forecast: Will rain gods unleash their fury derailing the Daytona 500?

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The race has been postponed previously to the next day because of rain only twice in 2012 and 2020. But will the weather play spoilsport ruining an iconic fixture, essentially spoiling the fun for millions of race fans? Well, we don’t have a definite answer to that, but what we do have is the weather forecasts for the Daytona Speedweek.

While the Cup cars are set for the qualifying session from 8:15 – 10 p.m. ET at Dayton, Florida, the forecast calls for mostly clear skies in the evening with a high of 58 degrees and a 4% chance of rain at the start of qualifying. The temperature is expected to be 57 degrees at the end of qualifying. The chance of rain is 8% by the end of qualifying.

However, reports suggest the conditions to be partly cloudy in the evening on Thursday, 15th February. It is scheduled to be 65 degrees with a 3% chance of rain at the start of the first qualifying race, but by 10 p.m, the forecast calls for a high of 62 degrees and a 5% chance of rain.

The conditions slowly turn grim, with dark clouds expected to loom over the track on the 18th with weather reports calling for a high of 62 degrees and a 69% chance of rain for the start. The chance of rain will be at least 55% the rest of the day, depending on the time.

In short, the fate of the biggest race of the season is at the mercy of the rain gods as fans turn to prayers to not let anything ruin their race week.

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