Daytona 500 2012: Rain Delay Puts Serious Damper on Start to Promising Year

The stage was set for one of the greatest years NASCAR has ever seen.

It’s still going to be great, but Sunday’s rain storm is a nightmare scenario for officials. The postponement of the race from Sunday afternoon to Monday night at 7:00 PM EST is unprecedented. It’s never happened in the 54-year history of the race.

It’s a tough pill to swallow considering to level of anticipation for the “Great American Race.”

Danica Patrick, the former Indy driver and face of auto racing, is set to make her NASCAR debut—a scenario race fans have been waiting to play out for years.

Some think she’s nothing more than a pretty face who isn’t a strong driver, while others believe she is one of the greatest sports stories of the last decade. Some expected her to cause a wreck on the first lap, while others thought she had a legit shot to win. Regardless, it is must-see TV.

With the 4:00 PST start, viewership across the country isn’t going to be what it could have been on Sunday. Western time zones may miss the beginning of the race, and early risers on the East Coast may miss the end of the race since it typically takes almost four hours to complete. The race won’t be over until around 11 PM EST.

All because of a rain storm in the middle of a big drought in Daytona.

Danica wasn’t the only reason to be excited for the ’12 season either. NASCAR is riding high after the incredible finish to the ’11 season where the Chase for the Sprint Cup literally came down to the final lap of the season between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards. It was the most thrilling finish the sport had ever seen since switching to the new format.

The return of pack racing has fired up both the drivers and the fans, while Speedweeks have already provided plenty of exhilaration and intrigue with last-lap passes and huge crashes like the one Jeff Gordon endured at the Bud Shootout.

There was a ton of positive momentum and now Mother Nature has decided to rain on the parade.

It’s still going to be an entertaining race with an under-the-lights twist, but the viewership and overall interest in the sport could have taken a huge step to national prominence in the American psyche.

Now NASCAR is competing against sitcoms on primetime.