NASCAR 2012: Rain Could Change Strategy at Daytona 500

Speedweeks in Daytona has had fairly nice weather, but on the day that counted most, Mother Nature decided to open the skies.

NASCAR fans, drivers and Fox Sports did not want to see the start of the sport's biggest race delayed by rain. Fans have to sit in the cold, wet stands, not knowing if the race will be run today. Drivers will sit in the motorhomes, trying not to let their nerves get the best of them. Fox Sports is watching rain ruin the biggest advertisement day of the year in NASCAR.

The Daytona 500 has never been canceled, and I do not think the 54th running of the Daytona 500 will be canceled either.

NASCAR is doing all they can to dry the track. They brought in 12 jet dryers to dry the track as quickly as possible. The problem is that Daytona is such a large track, it takes around two hours to dry.

If the race cannot be run on Sunday afternoon, NASCAR will try to run the race at night. Daytona is one of the tracks that has lights, so a night race is possible.

But a night race brings several problems. First of all, many fans probably plan to watch the Oscars tonight, so Fox Sports will lose many viewers. Even worse, the cars were set up to run during the day, and a night race would change everything.

There is a big difference in the way the cars must be set up to run in daylight as compared to a night race. For example, the Fords have looked strong all week, and keeping the cars cool during the race has been the key to the Fords' success. A night race would be run under much cooler conditions. This would give the other manufactures an opportunity to keep up with the Fords in the race.

A move to a night race would bring some drivers back into play for the Daytona 500. NASCAR will probably have a caution flag after 25 laps, so teams can adjust their cars. Having a crew chief that is smart enough to change the setup of the car for a night race would be crucial.

Denny Hamlin is a driver who will start in the No. 31 position and has one of the best crew chiefs. Hamlin's crew chief in 2012 is the defending championship crew chief, Darian Grubb. A change to a night race maybe just what Hamlin needs to make him competitive in the Daytona 500.

The Daytona 500 will not be canceled. NASCAR will not allow that to happen. When it is finally time to hear, "Drivers start your engines!" one thing will be certain—it will be a entirely new race for some teams.

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