The 67th edition of the Daytona 500, set to be staged at the Daytona International Speedway this weekend, will see NASCAR drivers chase history once again. To get their name etched on the iconic Harley J. Earl trophy is a direct ticket to racing immortality. Of course, the prize money is a huge draw too. And, this edition offers the highest prize money in Daytona’s fabled history which began in 1959.
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The first driver to end up victorious in the Daytona 500 was Lee Petty. He received 36% of the $53,050 purse. The winner for this edition won’t receive such a huge share, percentage-wise. The champ is expected to receive 10% of the overall prize.
That, in itself, is big money since the promotion has announced $30 million as the total prize pool.
Veteran reporter Bob Pockrass revealed on X that the purse size for the Great American Race is $30,331,250. The Xfinity Series season opener will have a $3,762,952 purse, and the Truck Series opener has a $1,262,900 prize pool.
The amount for the Cup Series race is almost $2 million higher than what was awarded in 2024.
Purses for Daytona weekend (Daytona 500 purse would include duels) and includes all payouts, all positions, plus charter payouts in Cup for competing and past two years points finish:
Cup: $30,331,250
Xfinity: $3,762,952
Truck: $1,262,900
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 11, 2025
Of course, it is unfortunate that the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series have still not become financially attractive battlegrounds. There is little change from last year’s numbers as the lower tiers accompany the Cup Series to the World Center of Racing. Nevertheless, teams across all series would be keen to win their respective season openers.
Could weather play spoilsport in the 67th Daytona 500?
The clouds above Central Florida love playing hide and seek, particularly in the winter months. NASCAR Cup Series drivers and fans, who come together every year for the Daytona 500, are way too familiar with this. This year’s race could face rain delays as the earlier editions, with preliminary weather reports not showing a lot of promise.
The 2025 Daytona 500 has been scheduled to be underway at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday. Live TV coverage on Fox Sports will begin at 2:00 p.m. Weather forecasters predict a cold front to land in Daytona Beach on that day. The National Weather Service forecasts a 50 percent chance of daytime rain in the area.
Winds could blow at speeds as high as 30 miles per hour. The brighter news is that Sunday night is a more promising time, with the National Weather Service expecting only partly cloudy skies. The Weather Channel has reported a 60% chance of rain as well.
Rain delays are nothing new, but fans would be praying to the racing gods that the event doesn’t get delayed too much because of it.
