Great news, NASCAR fans. Daytona 500 week is finally here and, unlike the Clash, we can say with almost 100 per cent certainty that it isn't going to get pushed for snow.
We've also moved past the cold temperatures which hit Florida in recent weeks, causing a hail of iguanas to drop from trees and out onto the sidewalks. In short, we're ready to go racing.
Well...almost entirely ready. This being Daytona, there's still a very real question mark over some potential rain. While the chance of wet conditions is almost zero at the start of the week, it's rising as the days go by – and peaking on Sunday.
Let's take it day by day.
Daytona 500 weather forecast
Qualifying: Wednesday, February 11
Wednesday morning's practice session was completely dry. However, rain did begin to fall at Daytona International Speedway this afternoon.
Fortunately, it looks as though that will all have cleared up by the time the drivers hit the track for qualifying tonight at 8:15 pm ET.
Drivers will be going out in very reasonable conditions, with temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s and nothing more than a gentle breeze blowing across the track – expect some fast times.
Duels: Thursday, February 12
Thursday will be the coldest day of the week, but that's going to affect the fans more than the drivers – after all, they just came from a snowy Bowman Gray.
The Duels will get started at 7pm after a 6:11pm sunset, with temperatures dropping down into the mid 50s and humidity high. The wind should be blowing a gentle breeze once again, but some stronger gusts could cause a little bit of trouble.
Daytona 500: Sunday, February 15
The main event. The green flag is scheduled to fly at 2:30pm, with temperatures in the mid-70s. All sounds good so far, right?
When it comes to the rain, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that there's still only a 35 per cent chance of wet conditions, so we're more likely than not to see a dry, uninterrupted race. The bad news is that the 35 per cent chance is the highest of the week, and it's going to be clouded over for the duration.
There's also going to be noticeable wind. While the prevailing wind speed isn't going to be too much bother, just a moderate breeze to contend with, there are forecast to be gusts of over 25mph – more than enough to cause a little bit of instability in a superspeedway pack.
