DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
&mdash Early morning showers and ominous clouds had NASCAR officials looking to Mother Nature for help in an effort to squeeze in the Daytona 500. Intermittent showers gave Daytona International Speedway a light soaking early Sunday and local forecasts called for a 70 per cent chance of rain and scattered showers throughout the evening, threatening NASCAR’s signature event. The pre-race festivities went off as planned and there was no talk of moving up the start of the race from the scheduled start, set for shortly after 3:30 p.m. ET. The race has been weather worry free in recent years. The last Daytona 500 to be bothered by rain was in 2003 when Michael Waltrip won after completing 272.5 miles. The 1965 and 1966 races were also cut short due to rain. NASCAR officials were optimistic the wet stuff would hold off. “Hopefully Mother Nature will co-operate with us and be as supportive as everybody else is,” said NASCAR president Mike Helton. TEBOW TIME: Tom Cruise may be one of the most famous movie stars in the world, but even he can’t outshine Tim Tebow.
The University of Florida quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner received a loud ovation while being introduced during the driver’s meeting a couple of hours before the Daytona 500.