How to Watch Daytona 500 Without Cable

I’m ready to kick off the 2024 NASCAR season with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 18th. Before the big race, I’ll be tuning in starting Wednesday, February 14th, when practice sessions and qualifying races begin. The best part is that watching all the action doesn’t require a cable subscription.

In a hurry? The Daytona 500 airs on Fox with much support from FS1. These streaming services offer it and a whole lot more for much less than a cable contract will cost you:

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Want to watch more than just the biggest NASCAR races? FloSports provide exclusive access to grassroots and other races.

Football fans aren’t the only ones who look forward to a major sporting event in the month of February. In addition to the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 takes place during this month. It is the biggest Cup Series race and signifies the start of the NASCAR Cup Series season.

Known as the Great American Race, it has surpassed the Indianapolis 500 as the most popular race to watch on television in the United States. However, the Daytona 500 is still a distant second to the Indianapolis 500 in terms of attendance and international viewership.

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What Is the Daytona 500?

Qualifying races are held one week before the Daytona 500. This sets the top two driver positions (front row for the race). The remainder of the field is set by two qualifying races.

The Daytona 500 takes place at the Daytona Speedway in Florida, and to win the race, a driver must be the first to complete 200 laps around the track. Assuming that the race lasts a full 200 laps, a competitor will drive about 500 miles over the course of about three to four hours.

However, because of NASCAR race protocols, it’s possible for a driver to complete more than 200 laps at this event in a given year. In 2020, it took 209 laps to finally declare a winner.

Each Daytona 500 is divided into three stages of between 65 and 70 laps. A race may be declared official after the conclusion of the second stage or at any point after the 100th lap. The race has been shortened multiple times in the past because of rain and track conditions, and in 1974, the Daytona 500 was shortened because of the ongoing energy crisis.

NASCAR and Cup Series

In addition to the prestige of winning this race, a strong performance can increase a driver’s chances of making the playoffs.

To qualify for the playoffs, a competitor must win a race, attempt to qualify for all races, and be in the top 30 in points at the end of the regular season.

A total of 16 drivers will qualify for the postseason tournament that typically lasts through November of each year.

Where Does the 2024 Daytona 500 Air?

Serious racing fans know that much of the race is over by the time the race officially starts. Qualifying is a huge part of every NASCAR race. And one of the best things about the Daytona 500 is that it is really easy to watch practices, qualifying, and the race itself.

Here is the schedule of events:

• Wed Feb 14 8:15 pm: Daytona 500 Qualifying (FS1)
• Thu Feb 15 7:00 pm: Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 (FS1)
• Thu Feb 15 8:45 pm: Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 (FS1)
• Fri Feb 16 5:35: Daytona 500 Practice (FS1)
• Sat Feb 17 10:30 am: Daytona 500 Practice (FS1)
• Sun Feb 18 2:30 pm: Daytona 500 (Fox)

In the United States, the entire event airs on Fox-related channels. Note that the Saturday Daytona 500 practice will also air on FS1 but a half-hour delayed.

Likewise, Canadians can watch all of these events but on TSN.

Fox Sports and KAYO Sports will be broadcasting at least the final race in Australia.

If you are watching the race in the United Kingdom, you can watch with Premier Sports, which is available for a fee through Sky Sports or Virgin Media.

Finally, those in New Zealand can watch on Sky Sport.

Ways to Watch the Daytona 500

Besides cable and satellite subscriptions, there are two main ways to watch the Daytona 500: antenna and streaming service.

Antenna

Assuming that you are relatively close to a Fox affiliate station (and most people in the US are), you can watch the race live using an antenna. Don’t scoff at this. If you haven’t used an antenna since over-the-air (OTA) TV went digital, you probably have a very distorted idea of it.

It’s easy to set up an antenna. And it will allow you to watch the Daytona 500 in high definition. And depending upon where you live, you’ll be able to watch a lot more. There aren’t just the standard channels, there are also independent channels and many (Many.) subchannels.

Streaming Services

Most of the cable-replacement streaming services offer Fox as part of their channel lineups.

• Fubo ($79.99/month): This is an exceptional streaming service for general viewers and sports fans alike. It offers over 100 channels in its base plan and many more with reasonably-priced extras. All plans come with the ability to stream on up to 10 devices at once and 750 hours of cloud DVR. See our Fubo review for all the details.
• DIRECTV STREAM ($79.99/month): Although a bit more expensive than the others, the formerly-named AT&T TV makes moving from cable the easiest. With this plan, you get roughly 80 channels. And there are many upgrade options. Plans come with unlimited cloud DVR as long as you sign-up online and 20 simultaneous screens to watch on — fabulous for a large household. See our DIRECTV STREAM review for more information.
• Sling TV ($40.00/month): With Sling Blue, you get 40+ channels including Fox and NBC. Although it doesn’t offer nearly as many channels are other services, you have lots of options for add-ons. And the channels you do get are good. The plan allows you to stream on up to 3 devices simultaneously and to record up to 50 hours with the cloud DVR. Our Sling TV review has more, or see our pages on NASCAR on Sling, Cup Series, Truck Series, and Playoffs Guide.
• Hulu + Live TV ($76.99/month): This plan starts with the standard Hulu on-demand library and adds 85+ channels including a well-rounded selection that should please any household. And it also comes with ESPN+ and Disney+. Finally, you get unlimited cloud DVR (9 month storage) and simultaneous streaming on up to two devices at once. For more information, see our Hulu + Live TV review.
• YouTube TV ($72.99/month): Provides a plan similar to Hulu + Live TV. They are the top two live streaming services and so have grown more similar over time. YouTube offers more live channels but Hulu’s on-demand library is far superior.

Streaming Devices and TV for the Daytona 500

Regardless of the streaming devices you now own, chances are that you can watch the Daytona 500 on them.

All the streaming services allow you to watch on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. The same is true for mobile devices using Android and iOS. And they all allow you to cast to your TV using Chromecast.

All the streaming services support Samsung smart TVs. Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV support all the smart TVs by LG and Vizio. All of them (except DIRECTV STREAM) support Android TV-based devices.

Xbox One is supported by Fubo, Sling TV, and Hulu + Live TV. And Hulu supports the PlayStation.

Our individual streaming reviews include complete lists of supported devices.

You should also be able to watch on the Fox Sports app, but you will need to have a TV provider and login via TV Everywhere.

FAQs

How can I listen to the Daytona 500?

You can listen to the NASCAR Daytona 500 through MRN, which is broadcast through a series of affiliate radio stations throughout the country. You can also listen to the race on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio or by subscribing to TrackPass. If you do subscribe to TrackPass, you can listen to a live stream of the race online. It may also be possible to listen to live streams online through a MRN affiliate’s website.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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