SUNDAY

9:30 a.m. — The 66th annual Daytona 500 is officially postponed to Monday at 4 p.m. ET because of rain. Teams will be able to access the haulers at 10 a.m. Monday and their cars in the garage at 11 a.m. The crew uses the free day to rest and recuperate.

MONDAY

10:04 a.m.: It’s race day. Team members file into the hauler shortly after the garage area opens. Burnett snacks on Pringles and a can of Diet Coke while water-cooler chats commence around the hauler. All the car needs are race tires and an engine warmup. Then it’s ready for the grid.

10:25 a.m.: Kneeland makes his way to the hauler. After the Duel races, he and Busch spent an hour reviewing film and discussing takeaways from their qualifying race. Examining the wreck, Kneeland says it was a racing incident, the result of lost momentum from cars in front without much place to go.

We chat about his role, experiences and the significance of getting Busch to Victory Lane in the Daytona 500. “There is no secret everybody’s talking about that this week,” he said. That undertone has persisted through the race weekend. Today could be the day.

10:40 a.m.: A sense of gratitude is evident through the hauler. There are tired bodies but not worn-out spirits. Parks makes it a point to emphasize: “We get to work on this team. We don’t have to. We get to.”

Alexander, the car chief, has a similar reflection. He was a mechanic on the No. 3 Chevrolet in 2018 when Austin Dillon won the Daytona 500 and has the tattoo to prove it. Clay tried his hand at racing behind the wheel but realized that wouldn’t be his long-term path. So when opportunity knocked around 2012 for him to work at Phoenix Racing in North Carolina, he sold just about everything, including his truck, to move from Franklin, Tennessee, to make it happen.

“Yeah, we complain about the small details because we want everything to be perfect,” Alexander says, “but at the end of the day, I’m one of 40 people doing this at the top level.”

12:32 p.m.: Fitted with its race tires, the car is rolled into the procession, waiting for its turn to be placed on the grid. There are still three and a half hours until this race begins, but the sun is finally shining. There’s a nervous energy. Eight minutes later, the job is done: The No. 8 Chevrolet glistens in the sunshine, parked perfectly between the Chevys of Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at pit entry.

3 p.m.: While the drivers’ meeting begins in the media center, the No. 8 team meets in its hauler. Outside, Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up the Sun” blares on the track’s PA system, fitting for the sunny Monday afternoon after two dismal days of rain.

Burnett leads the meeting with a succinct, “Welcome to Daytona.” He thanks the team for its hard work to get the backup car prepared after Thursday with a successful Friday practice. He cautions the team doesn’t have a great pit stall for Monday’s race — pit stall No. 20 behind Tyler Reddick and in front of Ryan Preece. That shouldn’t be an issue during green-flag stops, he adds, but something to be mindful of under caution. Burnett breaks down the stages and anticipates fuel-only stops — but be ready with tires in case Busch locks his tires coming to pit road and they need to call an audible.

“Today’s the day,” Burnett said. “Today’s the day we start our season. Let’s come out here strong. We got the best driver in the garage. That’s for sure. So, let’s do this proud and have a great day. Been fortunate enough in my career to win one of these things, and it’s something you’ll never forget.”

3:40 p.m.: Busch is introduced at the stage. Fans standing next to his car cheer loudly. Unlike past years, they are not anomalies. There is a notable pickup in cheers over jeers, a sign of changing times around Busch. Jared Reid, the tire technician, checks tire pressures at the same time, the air wheezing through the tire gauge. At 3:46 p.m., Parks is prepping the interior, getting tape stripped for Kyle to use when he straps in, safeguarding the data-collecting mouthguard Busch will utilize and more.

3:54 p.m.: Busch arrives to his machine, just minutes after his wife, Samantha, and their two children, Brexton and Lennix, arrived. They join Kurt Busch at the car, who was eagerly waiting to see his brother. Kurt knows what this race’s glory means, having won the Harley J. Earl Trophy in 2017 and speaks to Kyle separately at the left rear of the car. Perhaps today is Kyle’s day. He heads to the front of the car and takes five photos with sponsor guests — Zone, Chevrolet, RCR. Someone poses the basic-but-imperative question: “You gonna win?” “We’re gonna try,” Busch says with a laugh.