NASCAR moves Xfinity race at Daytona to Monday, Cup uncertain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR has postponed the Xfinity Series race at Daytona to 11 a.m. Monday.

Rain fell throughout the day on Saturday. The Xfinity race start time was originally bumped 30 minutes from 5 to 4:30 p.m., but that effort to beat the rain turned out to be in vain.

Since roughly 3 p.m., rain fell steadily. The Xfinity drivers were introduced at around 3:45 p.m., but they never actually started their engines. And at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, NASCAR officially announced that the race was postponed. The Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 will still be broadcast on FS1, the race’s original broadcast network, on Monday.

Saturday morning’s rescheduled Xfinity qualifying session began about two hours late at 1:30 p.m., and Jesse Love Jr., the 19-year-old reigning ARCA Menards Series champion, won the pole during a brief respite from the rain. Saturday morning’s Cup practice, originally scheduled for 10:30 a.m., was canceled, leaving Cup drivers little to do all day Saturday.

The odds of the Daytona 500 being run at its scheduled time on Sunday afternoon are also becoming more unlikely. There’s a 90% chance of rain during the day, and showers are also expected in the evening, according to the National Weather Service. If the Daytona 500 can’t be run on Sunday and is postponed by a day, it will be run after the Xfinity race, meaning a likely start time of midafternoon Monday if there is a weather-related postponement.

Anticipating the rain this weekend, NASCAR held its ARCA Menards Series race following the Truck Series opener late Friday night. That race didn’t end until around 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

The track needs at least 90 minutes to dry, and any amount of rain will stop racing. A brief drizzle during Friday’s Truck race elicited a red flag. The cars’ tires don’t have tread, so NASCAR is expected to put any race under caution for any amount of rain.

If the races in any of the series are interrupted during the action, NASCAR can opt to consider the race official if it has reached its halfway point, or the end of Stage 2.

Sunday’s weather and schedule

So they’re still saying there’s a chance to run the Daytona 500 Sunday. But it’s not looking great.

Showers are likely, but the chances vary throughout the day. Green flag is scheduled for 3:11 p.m., when cloudy skies are expected and less than a 50% chance of precipitation, according to Accuweather.

There will definitely be periods of rain, some heavy, but the breezy afternoon might limit some of the rainfall. NASCAR may well not make a call on postponing the race until late in the day Sunday, as all “let’s-run-it-today” options will be exhausted first. The Daytona International Speedway has announced a sold-out crowd for the event. Joey Logano is on the pole for what NASCAR likes to bill as “The Great American Race.”

THE DAYTONA 500

— When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday, weather permitting (actual green flag 3:11 p.m.) If it rains all day and night, race will be postponed until Monday and would be run following the Xfinity race, which starts at 11 a.m.

— How to watch/listen: Fox, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR

Monday’s weather and schedule

We’re officially racin’ on Monday, regardless of what happens with Sunday’s Daytona 500.

The National Weather Service predicts only a 20% chance of rain before 1 p.m. and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. The high temperature will be 61 degrees.

NASCAR XFINITY RACE AT DAYTONA, UNITED RENTALS 300

— When:11 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. The forecast improves considerably on Monday.

— How to watch/listen: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR