William Byron sits atop the leaderboard under a red flag, as rain and heavy winds have put the season-opening Daytona 500 on pause after just nine laps at Daytona International Speedway.
How It Unfolded
The green flag waved at 2 p.m. ET, with Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric leading the field into turn one. The first lead changes of the race came quickly:
🔹 Briscoe led the opening eight laps
🔹 Ty Dillon, making his Kaulig Racing debut, surged ahead to lead laps 9-10
🔹 William Byron then moved to the front, just before the caution flag flew for rain
The field was running three-wide, ramping up the intensity, when NASCAR spotted rain in the tri-oval and threw the caution. The cars were brought down pit road, and moments later, the red flag was displayed as weather conditions worsened.
Top 5 Under the Red Flag:
1️⃣ William Byron
2️⃣ Austin Cindric
3️⃣ Ty Dillon
4️⃣ Chase Briscoe (Polesitter)
5️⃣ Joey Logano
Helio Castroneves’ NASCAR Cup Debut Off to a Slow Start
IndyCar legend Helio Castroneves, making his first-ever Daytona 500 start, is currently 35th under the red flag. Meanwhile, Carson Hocevar—who lost the draft early—finds himself at the back of the field.
What’s Next?
With heavy rain and strong winds moving through the area, the big question is whether NASCAR will be able to resume racing tonight or if the event will be pushed to Monday.
🔹 The race is scheduled for 200 laps, but it will become official at lap 100 if weather forces an early conclusion.
🔹 The forecast suggests a multi-hour delay, but NASCAR has not yet announced an official restart time.
🚨 STAY TUNED: The Daytona 500 is on pause, but the action will resume as soon as weather conditions allow!
