Daytona 500 weather updates: Will rain in Sunday forecast delay NASCAR's 2026 race?

The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday, but weather may once again play a role in the race.

With rain in the forecast for Sunday, the Daytona 500 moved the race's start time up by an hour as it tries to avoid the wet weather. The expectation in Daytona Beach as that the chances for rain will increase throughout the day, so it's important to try and get the race in while the track is dry.

Of course, the Daytona 500 is used to weather issues, as many races over the years have been delayed, or even postponed, thanks to rain. This has especially been the case in the last few years, as rain played a significant role in determining when the race started and ended.

Here's the latest on the weather for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

MORE: Follow live updates from the Daytona 500

Daytona 500 weather updates

9:46 a.m.: The forecast for Sunday in Daytona has the chances of rain increasing throughout the day, as the National Weather Service has a likely chance of rain into the evening. Therefore, the race is moved up an hour early to try and avoid the rain.

Here's the updated look at our high resolution computer models that have showers and storms arriving at the Daytona International Speedway between 6-8 pm Sunday evening.The #Daytona500 has been moved up to 1:30 pm because of the weather concerns. #Storms #racing #Nascar #florida pic.twitter.com/01FLd7Fq8z

On Saturday, the Daytona 500 organizers announced that the race would be moved up an hour in an attempt to avoid the rain. That means the Daytona 500 is now scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET as organizers hope to finish before the rain comes. 

Daytona 500 weather forecast

On Sunday, the forecast in Daytona Beach, Florida, calls for cloudy weather with rain and storms coming in the evening. The expectation is that the storms will come once the sun goes down, with the possibility of rain earlier as well.

As a result, the race will start earlier in the day and, hopefully, finish before the rain pours down in the Daytona 500.

What time does the Daytona 500 start?

• Date: Sunday, Feb. 15
• Time: 1:30 p.m. ET

The Daytona 500 was initially set to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET, but incoming rain on Sunday evening pushed organizers to move up the race time by an hour.