16-02-2025
Daytona 500 live updates: 2025 NASCAR Cup Series opener back to racing after more than 4-hour delay
It's been 14 weeks since Joey Logano won his third NASCAR Cup Series championship in Phoenix and now it's finally time to start the 2025 campaign with the Daytona 500.
We've covered driver movement, previewed the season as a whole and kept track of a pretty significant lawsuit in the offseason, but now let's focus on the 'Super Bowl of motor racing events.'
We're back to racing on Lap 24, with Joey Logano leading the field to green.
We are back to green for the 67th running of The Great American Race!#DAYTONA500
— Daytona International Speedway (@DAYTONA) February 16, 2025
... hopefully.
They should be able to run hard once this stage goes back to green. Should be good on fuel to the end.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 16, 2025
Cars back (again) on track hoping to get underway after a more-than four-hour delay
Car covers off 👊
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) February 16, 2025
The red flag is back out on Lap 20 due to with us on FOX!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2025
Paul Wolfe telling Joey Logano over team radio that this cell is about five miles wide and they don't expect to lose the track.
NASCAR is going to keep the caution out as this light shower moves in.
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) February 16, 2025
#NASCAR reports rain drops in Turns 1 and 2.
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) February 16, 2025
Red flag time: 3 hours, 9 minutes, 59 seconds @NASCARONFOX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 16, 2025
Drivers back in their cars and leaving pit road under the yellow flag
A few signatures on the way back to the grid.
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) February 16, 2025
5 PM @Daytona update - 61°F, SW wind, 6 mphRace remains red flagged 🟥Track drying continues. Rain upstream is weakening as it approaches the Atlantic coast. We'll continue to monitor thru the rest of race day & all of the night. Thx to the RaceWeather team of mets and…
— RaceWeather (@RaceWeather) February 16, 2025
UPDATE: NASCAR has issued a call for drivers to report to their cars at 5:25 p.m. of the #DAYTONA500 continues live on FOX.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2025
Track looks ready, let's go
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 16, 2025
The track has dried up considerably in the last half hour. #NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) February 16, 2025
We told our spotters to duck. 😳
— Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) February 16, 2025
Rain delay with The Rizzler. He's even got the @Chilis cowboy hat 🤠
— Justin Haley (@Justin_Haley_) February 16, 2025
Teaching the "Rizz Face"
The amount of rizz in this video is off the charts.@The_ChrisMyers | @NoahGragson
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 16, 2025
UPDATE: Track-drying efforts are underway at @DAYTONA. Live coverage of the #DAYTONA500 continues on FOX!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2025
A bigger window is showing up as they start drying the track.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 16, 2025
Rain is clearing coming up, but more is trailing it...
Radar 330p ET - @DAYTONA back edge of this wave is like 20-30 min out. There will be a long break but there is currently more rain behind will continue to monitor and update with @RaceWeather #NASCAR
— Brian Neudorff (@NASCAR_WXMAN) February 16, 2025
hey, i am gonna go live on twitch on iracing if you're
— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) February 16, 2025
All times Eastern
Sunday2:30-6 p.m.: Daytona 500 (Fox, Fox Sports app)
Track: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile high-banked tri-oval) in Daytona Beach, FloridaBanking: Turns - 31 degrees | Tri-oval - 18 degrees | Backstretch - 3 degreesRace length: 200 laps for 500 milesStage lengths: Stage 1 - 65 laps | Stage 2 - 65 laps | Stage 3 - 130 laps
No. 19 Chase Briscoe
No. 2 Austin Cindric
No. 23 Bubba Wallace
No. 43 Erik Jones
No. 24 William Byron
No. 17 Chris Buescher
No. 10 Ty Dillon
No. 11 Denny Hamlin
No. 1 Ross Chastain
No. 22 Joey Logano
No. 45 Tyler Reddick
No. 01 Corey LaJoie
No. 16 A.J. Allmendinger
No. 34 Todd Gilliland
No. 3 Austin Dillon
No. 12 Ryan Blaney
No. 9 Chase Elliott
No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek
No. 40 Justin Allgaier
No. 20 Christopher Bell
No. 8 Kyle Busch
No. 5 Kyle Larson
No. 54 Ty Gibbs
No. 35 Riley Herbst
No. 71 Michael McDowell
No. 88 Shane van Gisbergen
No. 60 Ryan Preece
No. 51 Cody Ware
No. 4 Josh Berry
No. 41 Cole Custer
No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
No. 4 Noah Gragson
No. 77 Carson Hocevar
No. 6 Brad Keselowski
No. 7 Justin Haley
No. 99 Daniel Suarez
No. 38 Zane Smith
No. 48 Alex Bowman
No. 56 Martin Truex Jr.
No. 84 Jimmie Johnson
No. 91 Helio Castroneves
The biggest race on the NASCAR calendar also features a unique qualifying format not used on any other race weekend. On Wednesday night all entered cars will turn one lap at top speed, the order of which is determined by a Tuesday night draw of numbers. The top 10 drivers then go into a shootout with the top two times from that session setting the front row for Sunday's race.
The remaining cars are dropped — as evenly as possible, along with the top two qualifiers — into two 60-lap qualifying "duels" to be run Thursday night that set the field from spots three through 40. The finishing order for the first duel determines the inside row slots and the finishing order from the second duel sets the outside.
Restrictor plate racing presents a randomizing element that makes handicapping the results challenging, and that's reflected in BetMGM's odds. Three drivers enter the week with identical 12-to-1 odds and 10 drivers come in at 20-to-1 or better.
Ryan Blaney +1200Joey Logano +1200Brad Keselowski +1200Kyle Busch +1400Denny Hamlin +1500
Due to a new rule this year, a provisional is granted for a 'world-class driver' who does not run the Cup series full time to join the field for any event as the 41st car. Teams must put in the request at least 90 days ahead of time and only Trackhouse Racing did so on behalf of four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Hélio Castroneves. Castroneves will still attempt to qualify for the race and if he posts one of the top 40 times, there will be only 40 cars running on Sunday. If he doesn't make it on time, the Daytona 500 will have its largest field in 10 years.
Seven-time series champion and winner of the 2006 and 2013 Daytona 500s Jimmie Johnson will attempt to make the field in a third entry for the Legacy Motor Club team that he owns. Johnson, 49, has run in the event twice since retiring from full-time racing in 2020, with a best finish of 28th.
We're back to racing on Lap 24, with Joey Logano leading the field to green.
We are back to green for the 67th running of The Great American Race!#DAYTONA500
— Daytona International Speedway (@DAYTONA) February 16, 2025
... hopefully.
They should be able to run hard once this stage goes back to green. Should be good on fuel to the end.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 16, 2025
Cars back (again) on track hoping to get underway after a more-than four-hour delay
Car covers off 👊
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) February 16, 2025
The red flag is back out on Lap 20 due to with us on FOX!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2025
Paul Wolfe telling Joey Logano over team radio that this cell is about five miles wide and they don't expect to lose the track.
NASCAR is going to keep the caution out as this light shower moves in.
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) February 16, 2025
#NASCAR reports rain drops in Turns 1 and 2.
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) February 16, 2025
Red flag time: 3 hours, 9 minutes, 59 seconds @NASCARONFOX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 16, 2025
Drivers back in their cars and leaving pit road under the yellow flag
A few signatures on the way back to the grid.
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) February 16, 2025
5 PM @Daytona update - 61°F, SW wind, 6 mphRace remains red flagged 🟥Track drying continues. Rain upstream is weakening as it approaches the Atlantic coast. We'll continue to monitor thru the rest of race day & all of the night. Thx to the RaceWeather team of mets and…
— RaceWeather (@RaceWeather) February 16, 2025
UPDATE: NASCAR has issued a call for drivers to report to their cars at 5:25 p.m. of the #DAYTONA500 continues live on FOX.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2025
Track looks ready, let's go
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 16, 2025
The track has dried up considerably in the last half hour. #NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) February 16, 2025
We told our spotters to duck. 😳
— Trackhouse Racing (@TeamTrackhouse) February 16, 2025
Rain delay with The Rizzler. He's even got the @Chilis cowboy hat 🤠
— Justin Haley (@Justin_Haley_) February 16, 2025
Teaching the "Rizz Face"
The amount of rizz in this video is off the charts.@The_ChrisMyers | @NoahGragson
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 16, 2025
UPDATE: Track-drying efforts are underway at @DAYTONA. Live coverage of the #DAYTONA500 continues on FOX!
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2025
A bigger window is showing up as they start drying the track.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 16, 2025
Rain is clearing coming up, but more is trailing it...
Radar 330p ET - @DAYTONA back edge of this wave is like 20-30 min out. There will be a long break but there is currently more rain behind will continue to monitor and update with @RaceWeather #NASCAR
— Brian Neudorff (@NASCAR_WXMAN) February 16, 2025
hey, i am gonna go live on twitch on iracing if you're
— Carson Hocevar (@CarsonHocevar) February 16, 2025
