DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It's going to take another day to determine the winner of the Daytona 500.
NASCAR's season-opening race was postponed following a second rain delay, pushing the event into Monday. It's the second time in 62 years and first time since 2012 that "The Great American Race" will finish on a Monday.
Pole-sitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the leader 20 laps into the race when the rain returned, sending drivers back to pit road.
The first delay lasted 50 minutes and came moments after the presidential motorcade completed a ceremonial parade lap around the 2 1/2-mile track. The second stoppage was prompted by heavier rain, further soaking a racing surface that takes hours to dry.
Trump was the second president ever to attend the Daytona 500 and as grand marshal, he had the honor of commanding drivers to start their engines.
The presidential motorcade took to the track to join in a warm-up lap after he had told the crowd that the racers and their teams were competing “for pure American glory.” Trump made a grand entrance before the start of the race.
He gave thousands of fans a flyover of Air Force One and then rode onto the track in the presidential motorcade as the audience roared with delight.
Monday's race is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on WPTV's partner station WFLX Fox Channel 29.
