Joey Logano (22) and Michael McDowell (34) lead a pack of Fords during a practice before the Daytona 500. David TuckerNews-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Final practice for Daytona 500 canceled, rain threatens Saturday's Xfinity Series race

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated 2/17/24

Mother Nature is already forcing her hand on NASCAR's big weekend.

Final practice for Sunday’s Daytona 500 has been canceled, meaning Friday’s practice times and notes are all teams have to go off of when setting up their race cars for Sunday’s race.

Saturday’s on-track schedule was already impacted by weather, as the ARCA Menards Series race was moved from its original Saturday afternoon start time to late Friday night after the conclusion of the Craftsman Truck Series race.

NEWS: Due to inclement weather, Saturday's final practice for the #DAYTONA500 has been canceled.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 17, 2024

The next item on the agenda is NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying for the United Rentals 300. Qualifying is slated to occur at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the race scheduled to go green at 5 p.m. ET. Both qualifying and the race are still scheduled, per NASCAR, so we’ll see if any racing takes place this evening in the Xfinity Series.

Regarding the weather for the Daytona 500, the outlook remains somewhat grim. Accuweather predicts a 99% chance of rain on Sunday, with cloud cover and a little over one inch of rain expected to descend on the two-and-a-half-mile track. The race is still scheduled to go green at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, airing on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Joey Logano sits on the pole for the Great American Race, with 2021 winner Michael McDowell starting beside him on the front row.

Hopefully, the rains will recede, and all on-track activity will go as scheduled. It could be a wet weekend for those at the racetrack.

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