Multiple rain delays force Daytona 500 to wait a day
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona 500 was postponed by rain for the first time since 2012, dampening NASCAR’s season opener that started with a ballyhooed visit from President Trump.
The race was postponed after two lengthy delays totaling more than three hours. The race will begin at 1 p.m. PST Monday and be carried live on Fox.
It’s the second time in 62 years that “The Great American Race” will finish on a Monday.
The first delay of the day came moments after the presidential motorcade completed a ceremonial parade lap around the 2½mile track. Trump’s armored limousine, nicknamed “The Beast,” exited Daytona International Speedway, and the sky opened for a brief shower that forced drivers back to pit road.
The start already had been pushed back 13 minutes to accommodate Trump’s trip. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. eventually led the field to the green flag and was out front for the first 20 laps before heavier rain soaked a racing surface that takes hours to dry.
NASCAR called drivers back to their cars around 6:40 p.m. EST, hoping to get in more laps before more showers hit again. Some drivers showed, but the heaviest rain of the day forced a postponement.
It no doubt choked some of the excitement out of an event that had been a raucous celebration for hours, some of it prompted by Trump’s dramatic entrance.
At least a dozen drivers were escorted from the prerace meeting to a private introduction with Trump.
“I got to meet the president! How cool is that?” driver Aric Almirola said.
Johnson’s last ride: Jimmie Johnson was ready for one last race at Daytona, but he’ll have to wait one more day.
“I feel really good about it,“Johnson said the day before the race. “We’ve had great speed in our 500 car.”
Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet didn’t need speed for him to lead the Daytona 500 — he was waved to the front of the field during the pace laps to raucous applause.
Johnson, tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with seven Cup Series titles, was trying to win his third Daytona 500 in what he called his final full NASCAR season.
Johnson, 44, won five straight championships from 2006 through 2010, and his 83 career victories are tied with Cale Yarborough for sixth all time. Johnson, though, is mired in a 95race losing streak spanning more than two years, had two crewchief changes last season and wasn’t a serious favorite to win Sunday.