Daytona 500 Postponed Due to Rain - East Idaho News
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Daytona 500 Postponed Due to Rain

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Getty S 22612 Daytona?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1330310115957Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR(Daytona Beach, Fla.) — History was made Sunday in Daytona, but not the kind that race fans were hoping for. For the first time in the 54-year history of the race, the Daytona 500 has been postponed because of rain.

The race is now scheduled to begin this Monday at noon. Officials had waited over four hours for a window to get the track dried off, but it never happened. Another weather problem could be brewing again as the forecast on Monday calls for more rain. NASCAR officials are trying to avoid a Tuesday race at all costs though.

“The longer runway we have tomorrow to get in the Daytona 500, the greater the likihood for us to start and finish the event on Monday,” NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. “There are certainly a lot of considerations that go into the start time decision, and we believe scheduling it for noon gives us the best opportunity for us to get in the race tomorrow.”

Eight previous Daytona 500s have endured rain delays, most recently in 2009.

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