NASCAR driver Cody Ware details Friday — Xfinity Series day at Daytona

• NASCAR driver Cody Ware arrived in Daytona Beach early Friday morning for the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
• A planned fan Q&A and qualifying were canceled due to lightning.
• Ware made an appearance to promote sponsor Arby’s during the Xfinity Series race.

Editor’s note: Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing, is writing a daily Coke Zero Sugar 400 diary, giving a peek into NASCAR life during race week at Daytona International Speedway. This is Friday’s entry.

Tom Petty was right. The waiting is the hardest part.

After a 6:30 a.m. departure from Concord Regional Airport Friday morning, we landed in Daytona Beach a little before 8 a.m. — a solid nine hours before I was supposed to climb into my No. 51 Arby’s Jamocha Shake Ford Mustang to qualify for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Why so early? The NASCAR Cup Series garage opened at 9 a.m., and even though my job didn’t start until 5 p.m., the crew had to unload the car and all of our equipment and set up the garage. After that, they had to roll the car through the various steps of NASCAR’s technical inspection, and with 40 cars here at Daytona, that is a loooong process.

After I found the rental car and picked up my wife, Emily, we grabbed breakfast with my parents and her folks. Then, we did what all jet-setting racing couples do — shop at Target. We needed a bunch of different things for the motorcoach, so we hit the store across the street from the track. That got us to almost 11 a.m., so we chilled in the bus, grabbed some lunch at Arby’s — which is conveniently located just outside Turn 1 off West International Speedway Blvd. — and then chilled some more before heading out for an appearance … or so we thought.

Just when we were getting ready to leave the bus to head over to the NASCAR Experience stage for a fan Q&A, the track was put under a lightning hold. While we were still in the sun, bolts of lightning could be seen outside the track. And every time another lightning bolt was seen, another 30 minutes got added to the clock. Eventually, the appearance got canceled, which was a bummer on a couple of fronts.

Jumping on the golf cart and driving out to the midway behind the frontstretch grandstands was going to be a welcome change of pace. Having a bus at the track is really nice, but you do start to go a little stir crazy after a while. It was going to be good to just get out and about, but Mother Nature had other plans.

I honestly like doing fan Q&As. It’s great to hear from the fans and just talk racing, and it’s always a good reminder of how dedicated they are. Whether it’s muggy and hot, or windy and cold, the fans are there and they’re committed. I’m grateful for their dedication. In fact, we all are.

The lightning delay extended into qualifying. The NASCAR Xfinity Series was forced to line up by points after lightning cut short their qualifying session. We never even got started. Lightning canceled our qualifying session outright, so owners’ points set the 40-car field for Saturday night’s race.

While qualifying was effectively over, my day wasn’t. Arby’s is promoting its Jamocha Shake, which if you haven’t had it yet, is really, really good, and when it’s hot like it is here at Daytona, it’s the ultimate way to cool down.

The pit reporters for the Xfinity Series race definitely feel the heat. They’re running up and down pit road providing updates as to what’s happening within each team and what the drivers are feeling inside their racecars. When we had another lightning hold right at the beginning of the Xfinity Series race, it was the perfect time to find Dillon Welch and give him and his colleagues a Jamocha Shake and, of course, get some air time for Arby’s.

Partnerships make this sport go ‘round, and that includes the people who work hard to deliver the news and the brands that support all these teams’ efforts. Anything I can do to help keep it all running smoothly, I’m going to do.

I returned to the bus and caught the rest of the Xfinity Series race from the couch. Not long afterward, I called it a night. After a week’s worth of preparation and anticipation, race day is nearly here.