NASCAR Could Profit More in Terms of Ratings by Moving the Daytona 500 to Monday

Every motorhead’s heart has been left fluttering wildly by the recent schedule change. NASCAR postponed the Daytona 500 race to Monday afternoon, setting off a flurry of emotions among fans. But that has not dampened their enthusiasm for the race, though. On the contrary, the delay may have accelerated the hype and excitement about the Great American Race, 2024 version.

Many notable celebrities are set to grace the event: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Pitbull, and DJ Khaled. But Mother Nature is currently dominating the stage, and we would have to wait a whole day to witness the others. Inclement weather has clouded NASCAR’s race schedule, yet not so much to cloud viewership.

The delayed Daytona 500 race may see more fans in the stands

‘Daytona 500’ is one of the most searched terms on the net in the USA right now. The 66th running of the Superbowl of NASCAR has got racing fans at the edge of their seats. But Mother Nature is playing with our hearts. The first round of rain reached Central Florida on Saturday, postponing the Xfinity Series opener to Monday.

Similarly, forecast models predicted 1-3 inches of rain over the Daytona racetrack. The 200 laps on the 2.5-mile superspeedway usually take 3–4 hours to complete, and rain will further prolong the race. Drying the tracks post-rain can take 90–180 minutes. Thomas Davenport, a manager of track services for NASCAR, said: “We use our buffalo turbine air blowers, and we use our jet dryers to combine and apply heat to the surface, just like you would think of a hair dryer.”

Even though the weather may not look sunny, NASCAR’s chance to increase its viewership may be on the brighter side. Jeff Gluck recently shared a statistical comparison on X. “With the Daytona 500 postponed to Monday (no realistic chance today and would have been a very late night race, if anything), @cindymeliyen shows why the ratings could be better tomorrow anyway.”

This is not the first time rainy weather has thrown a wrench in the Daytona 500 race schedule. Back in 2020, persistent rainfall moved the race by a whole day. In 2021, the race started anyway but had to be paused for 5 hours and 40 minutes on lap 16 when it started pouring. Yet as the Twitter post shows, 2020’s viewership was higher than 2021, even though the delay was longer.

The race has been rescheduled. But some talented racers will hit the track with unmatched fervor.

Yellow is the warmest color

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The 2024 Daytona 500 race will see a splash of yellow in the front row. In Wednesday’s qualifying race, Joey Logano claimed the pole position with a lap speed of 181.947 mph. Michael McDowell qualified close behind, a lap 0.071 seconds slower than Logano. Both will drive Ford Mustangs while occupying the first two starting spots.

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Other prominent names will start the race from varying positions. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the defending race champion, will start 35th. Ryan Blaney, last year’s Cup titleholder, faced a vicious crash at the qualifying event. He will start near the rearguard on the 32nd. Three-time Daytona winner Denny Hamlin will begin 8th, and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson will start 23rd.

The Daytona 500 is reigning supreme in our hearts, rain delay or not.

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