6:55 p.m. update — The Daytona 500 has been postponed due to rain. NASCAR announced that the race will resume at 4 p.m. Monday.

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As it is every year on one of racing’s biggest days, this Sunday the world’s eyes were once again on Daytona Beach, but not just for motosporting reasons - the eyes of the political world were watching, too. 

Thousands of race fans filled up the Daytona International Speedway, excited for the Daytona 500, and also for President Donald Trump's visit. 

The 62nd annual race sold out for the fifth year in a row — not hard to believe considering the scores of dedicated fans pouring into the speedway in the morning, hours ahead of the race. 

Visitors to the event came from all 50 states and from 48 countries. 

As crews revved up their drivers' engines in a different way, dedicated fans are staked out the garages, hoping to see their favorite racing teams.

"Wouldn’t say the biggest but I’m probably up there with it,” said Dean Leman from White Bear Lake, MN.

Outside the garages, he's was watching carefully for his favorite driver when we spoke to him.

“The car behind me, 24,” Leman said, referring to racer William Byron's car.

Snapping photos of the crew working on the car, Leman was decked out in everything "24", including his hat.

"I’ve been with the 24 basically since I can remember, back with the [Jeff] Gordon days," Leman said.

With Byron at 24’s wheel now, Leman said he's easy to root for.

“Well, he’s always toward the front,” Leman said.

While it’s not his first racing rodeo here in Daytona, he and his fiancé found it easy to trade Minnesota’s snowplows for the speedway.

“We love coming down here from -10,” he said. 

Leman's ready to see Byron heat up the track, hopeful he’ll take home a win for 24 at the 500. And this won't be Leman's last Daytona 500.

“We’re getting married here within the next couple years and we’re going to be back of course for the honeymoon,” Leman said. 

Trump enjoys friendly crowd, warm-up lap around the track

President Trump made the most of his time as the first sitting president to serve as Grand Marshal for the race. He and the First Lady took a lap around the track in the presidential limosine and thrilled the crowd with Air Force One performing a flyover the speedway, as well as fulfilling his duties as Grand Marshal and delivering the most famous words in racing: "Gentlemen, start your engines."

 

The sea of Trump flags, shirts, and supporters present at the race are all a good sign for the president as he faces a very different "great American race" in the months to come - the race to re-election.

"One of the things he talked about at the State of the Union was the blue collar boom," said Florida Rep. Michael Waltz, who also attended the race Sunday. "I can't think of any place better to celebrate that than here at NASCAR's Super Bowl, than Daytona 500. Economy is booming, Florida is booming."

Trump is just the second sitting president to attend the race, following George W. Bush in 2004. It's something both fans and race organizers were excited to be a part of.

"Yeah, no question," said Chip Wile, president of Daytona International Speedway. "To have our commander in chief here to issue the most famous words in NASCAR is something we're really proud of. For him to recognize the Daytona 500 as one of the largest sporting events in the world and wanting to come be a part of today is something we're truly proud of."

It's all part of the president's effort to put his re-election pitch out front, talking about the economy, jobs, and protecting social programs, all things that the vast field of Democratic presidential hopefuls say he's failed to help working class voters with.

The fact that the atmosphere surrounding the president's visit to Daytona rivaled that of his rallies, however, is just the sort of support Trump campaign staff hope to grow on in Florida as November nears. 

"So we'll see how his trip goes," Wile added. "I feel really confident we've planned a really great program for him and he'll get to enjoy the start of the 62nd annual Daytona 500."​