The 2012 Daytona 500 is not starting on time on Sunday afternoon due to rain, as discussed by SB Nation's Jeff Gluck. He says that the rain began around 10:30 a.m. this morning and hasn't stopped yet, with it takes roughly two hours for the track to dry out.
That means that NASCAR's announced start time of 1:29 p.m. EST won't be a reality, as the weather has to clear up before conditions on the track can even improve. This means that we likely won't have live racing for a while, but Gluck notes that Daytona is equipped with lights, so fans could be treated to a primetime finish for this year's Daytona 500.
Gluck also adds that the Daytona 500 has never been delayed by rain before in its 53-year history, but that could partially be explained by the race's unusually late date. This year's race was pushed back to avoid any conflicts with the Super Bowl.
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