The Daytona 500, the flagship event of the NASCAR Cup Series, is arguably bigger than even the season finale. But the reality is that it cannot compete with the Super Bowl in terms of popularity or TV viewership currently.
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For 2027, the Daytona 500 has been moved a week later than usual to avoid a clash with football’s grandest spectacle. NASCAR President Steve Phelps was asked during a recent press conference if this could happen again. That is, if the NFL keeps pushing the date of the Super Bowl.
Phelps answered without hesitation that NASCAR cannot afford the fight and that it would definitely avoid the Super Bowl. “We want to avoid the Super Bowl, for sure,” he said, before elaborating on NASCAR’s stance.
“Fairly large event with some viewers [smiling]. Listen, they are an amazing product, they’re an amazing league. The Daytona 500 is our Super Bowl. Again, creating some distance and not overlapping is something that we’ll continue to make sure that we do,” added Phelps.
The Daytona 500 is usually held on Presidents’ Day Weekend. It will be moved to February 21 in 2027. This date is a week after the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
NASCAR believes that this announcement, which comes 16 months before the event, will allow ample time for fans to make their travel arrangements.
“We have fans from all 50 states and dozens of countries who look forward to kicking off the NASCAR season with us at The World Center of Racing, and we know many of them make their travel and lodging plans well in advance for the trip,” Frank Kelleher, the President of the Daytona International Speedway, said in a statement.
“As the 2027 date shifts to Feb. 21, we wanted to give our amazing and loyal fans plenty of opportunity to prepare to be in Daytona Beach for the excitement The Great American Race provides each year,” he added.
The 2026 Daytona 500 will be held on Presidents’ Day Weekend as usual, on February 15. This is, again, a week after Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara.
