Daytona 500 forecast: Rain-free weather to hold through Sunday

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

February 20,2016; 9:02PM,EST

 

 

The weather will be ideal for racing in Daytona Beach, Florida, this weekend for the 58th running of the Daytona 500.
The Daytona 500 is one of the biggest NASCAR races of the year and is sometimes referred to as the "Super Bowl of NASCAR." Fans from around the world head to the world renowned Daytona International Speedway each year to watch the first race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

People attending Sunday's race can expect rain-free weather due to an area of high pressure parked over Florida.
Fans can expect comfortable conditions each afternoon with low humidity and high temperatures topping out right around 75 F.
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The rain-free weather will not only be favored by fans in the grandstands, but also the drivers competing in the race.
Factors such as temperatures and cloud cover can affect the way that the cars handle for the drivers during the race. If there are fluctuations in temperature or cloud cover during the race, drivers may need to make adjustments to compensate for the change in the weather.
Drivers, including Brian Vickers (14) and Ryan Blaney (21), line up on pit road waiting to go out on the track during a practice session for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
While dry conditions will dominate the weather in Daytona Beach this weekend, rainy weather has put the skids on recent races held at the track.
Last July when drivers and fans headed to Daytona for the Coke Zero 400, they were greeted with rainy and cloudy weather.
This rain caused NASCAR officials to pushed back from 8:04 p.m. EDT to 11:42 p.m. EDT to allow for the rain to clear and for crews to dry the track. The race was able to be held in its entirety with the checkered flag waving at 2:41 a.m. EDT.
Rain also played a major role during 2014's Daytona 500. While the race that year started off dry, rain moved in by lap 39 forcing the race to be halted.
During the rain delay, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Daytona Beach, forcing the grandstands to be evacuated. Fortunately, a tornado did not pass over the speedway.
The rain delay during 2014's race ended up lasting for 6 hours and 22 minutes, the longest rain delay in Daytona 500 history.