Daytona 500 postponed to Monday

Rain has postponed the season-opening Daytona 500 for the first time in the history of the event.

The race will be run on Monday at Noon ET at Daytona International Speedway and will air on FOX.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup race was originally slated to begin shortly after 1 p.m. ET Sunday, but rain ended the shot at a timely start. NASCAR officials tried valiantly to get the race under way, waiting out the initial rain shower and putting out the jet dryers to prepare the 2.5-mile surface in an effort to start the race.

The effort was working in terms of drying the track as the surface looked good at around 5 p.m. ET. However, rain started again just a few minutes later. It takes at least two hours to dry the Daytona track, and the rain was expected to continue until around 8 p.m.

When the race does get under way, Carl Edwards will start from the pole position with Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle also on the front row.