Isn’t it wild how a simple one-hour shift can change everything? NASCAR rolled the dice in 2026, bumping the Daytona 500 start time up to 1:30 p.m. ET to dodge an ugly weather forecast. The move had fans buzzing! Even critics wondered whether tinkering with the tradition-heavy schedule would backfire. Instead, as the green flag dropped at 2:13 p.m. ET, something unexpected happened: the gamble worked. Not only did the race beat the rain, but FOX Sports walked away with record-breaking viewership numbers, silencing the skepticism in the loudest way possible. Here’s how NASCAR’s Daytona risky call turned into a massive win.

Monster ratings for NASCAR Daytona 500

When NASCAR decided to bump the 2026 Daytona 500 start time up by an hour to avoid incoming rain, analysts knew there would be a trade-off. Historically, moving the start earlier costs the sport around five percentage points in potential viewership. But even with that expected hit, FOX Sports delivered eye-popping numbers that shut down every doubt. Sunday’s race pulled in 7.489 million viewers, a sizable jump from last year’s rain-delayed 2025 edition, which drew 6.76 million.

That’s an 11% year-over-year gain. Now, it’s the kind of growth that’s hard to argue with.

Even more impressive, the 2026 Daytona 500 became the most-watched running of the Great American Race since 2023, when the broadcast reached 8.17 million. This year’s event also hit a staggering peak of 9,154,000 viewers between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m. ET, a number that broadcasters dream about and critics didn’t see coming.

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And it wasn’t just a NASCAR win! But, in the overall picture, it was a TV sports win. The Daytona 500 outperformed every non-prime Winter Olympics broadcast and cable window, a huge statement considering the global pull of the Olympics.

The momentum for motorsports coverage on FOX is undeniable. In the past 12 months, the network has now delivered the two biggest racing telecasts in the U.S.:

• 7,489,000 for the 2026 Daytona 500
• 7,050,000 for the 2025 Indianapolis 500

The bottom line? NASCAR’s strategic gamble paid off, and FOX’s broadcast strength proved impossible to ignore. If this is a preview of what 2026 has in store, the sport may be entering a new era of momentum. Momemtum powered by smart decisions, stronger storytelling, and a fan base that keeps showing up bigger than expected.

Daytona feels Dale Earnhardt’s presence

As the engines came to life for the 2026 Daytona 500, the energy inside Daytona International Speedway was unmistakably electric. But also undeniably heavy. This year’s running arrived just days after the premiere of We’ve Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later, the emotional new documentary released by NASCAR Studios and FOX Sports on February 12.

While the initial reception wasn’t universally positive, the film reopened NASCAR’s oldest, deepest wound at the very place where everything changed. No reflection hit harder than the one shared by Michael Waltrip, whose voice carried both heartbreak and clarity as he revisited the moment that forever divided his life.

“I live it every day. People say when you come to Daytona, does it hurt? I’m like, yeah. It hurts every day of my life. The one thing that brings me peace is that I know Dale was exactly where he wanted to be when he left this world. There’s a Bible verse that says, if you believe you are in the presence of the Lord in the blink of an eye, and that’s how I believe Dale left here. He’s in heaven, smiling down on us today.”

The pain dates back to February 18, 2001, when Dale Earnhardt lost his life in a last-lap crash during the Daytona 500, an impact at over 150 mph that stunned the sports world. Waltrip had finally captured his first Cup win after 462 starts, celebrating in Victory Lane unaware that the man who believed in him (his team owner, mentor, and friend) had been taken. Only 30–40 minutes later did the truth reach him, turning what should’ve been the pinnacle of his career into its darkest moment.

Twenty-five years later, Daytona still feels Dale’s presence! And this year, more than ever, the track seemed to pause and remember.