This Daytona 500 made all sorts of history before Matt Kenseth finally ended the longest running of the race with his second victory in NASCAR's showcase event. Sunday's rainout was the first in 54 editions of the race, and continued bad weather Monday led to the first night start. And it was the first race to end on a Tuesday, just before 1 a.m. ET. There also was a two-hour delay after Juan Pablo Montoya lost control during a caution and ran into a track-drying truck, setting off an explosion and creating an inferno in which no one was seriously hurt. Also, Jimmie Johnson crashed at the start of Lap 2, and took out Danica Patrick as well. She eventually returned, but was more than 60 laps behind. She finished 38th. Game On! blogged all the action.

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PHOTO GALLERY: 2012 Daytona 500

1:04: Kenseth's victory also gives Ford three victories in the last four runnings of the Daytona 500.

1:03: Kenseth gave great thanks to teammate Greg Biffle for all the help he got in the final laps. Biffle still finished third, the second time he has finished in the top five at the Daytona 500.

1:02: There were four cautions in the last 40 laps, and a two-hour delay after the big fire. Kenseth also overcame an over-heating problem early in the race, and a failed communications system. He could hear his pit crew, but in the late stages of the race they couldn't hear him.

12:59: This was Kenseth's second victory in the Daytona 500. He also won in 2009, in a rain-shortened race.

12:56: Matt Kenseth wins. They key for him was having teammate Greg Biffle running second and holding Earnhardt at bay. Earnhardt did pass Biffle at the very end, but he couldn't make a move in time.

12:53: There will be a green-white-checkered finish. They'll add two laps and hope to get it done with no more wrecks. Green flag drops.

12:50: 3 laps to go, still under the caution, and the lead is pretty much the same: Kenseth, then teammate Biffle, followed by Hamlin, Earnhardt, Burton and Harvick.

12:47: Another wreck, away from the lead, with four laps to go. That's the 10th caution. Looks like it started when Tony Stewart got pushed and turned.

12:45: Biffle slides in behind his teammate Kenseth, and they are 1-2 with Hamlin right behind. Earnhardt nearly fell way back, but was lucky to slide into the fourth spot. 5 laps to go.

12:42: Still under the caution with eight laps to go. They'll re-start after one more lap. There are 23 racers still left on the lead lap.

12:39: 10 laps to go, and they're still under the caution. The top six, in order: Kenseth, Biffle, Earnhardt, Hamlin, Harvick, Burton. Seven drivers were involved in the last pileup.

12:34: The crash happened in the middle of the pack, so it may not affect the order of the leaders.

12:33: Looks like the crash started when McMurray blew a rear tire.

12:32: Huge crash. Cars are spinning all over the place with 13 laps to go. They're under the ninth caution.

12:31: 15 laps to go, and Kenseth still leads, followed by Biffle, Earnhardt and Hamlin. Earnhardt tried to push Biffle to the front, but Biffle resisted and kept teammate Kenseth in the lead.

12:28: The order of the top five at the re-start: Kenseth, Earnhardt, Biffle, Harvick, Burton.

12:26: They're going to take one more lap under the caution, and then drop the green flag with 18 laps to go.

12:23: Aric Almirola also was involved in that last wreck. With 20 laps to go Kenseth still has the lead, Biffle is in second, and Earnhardt, Havrick and Hamlin round out the top five.

12:20: And now the caution is out for an eighth time. The field had some trouble getting around a lapped car. Ambrose spun into the infield and Casey Mears, who was being lapped, ended up in there too. 22 laps to go.

12:16: 25 laps to go, and Kenseth still leads, with Biffle on his tail. Earnhardt is third, Harvick fourth and Hamlin has worked up to fifth after getting a push from Burton.

12:13: With so many of the leaders going to the pits, here's the top six, with 30 laps to go: Kenseth leading, followed by Biffle, Earnhardt Jr., Harvick, Logano, Martin.

12:11: The green flag drops, and there are 34 laps to go. The field passes through the part of the track that was patched, with no bobbles. Everyone can have a sigh of relief.

12:09: Lot of cars pitting, including Dave Blaney, who was leading when the two-hour delay began.

12:08: We're still not on the green flag yet. And something has gone wrong for the car of Casey Mears. He has slowed to a stop. He was running seventh.

12:06: Landon Cassill, running second, told his crew that when he went over the patched part of the track that "It felt like a sand pit."

12:04: We're past midnight now, so the Daytona 500 is running on a Tuesday for the first time. The green flag was supposed to drop almost a day and a half ago, at 1:29 p.m. on Sunday.

12:03: Fox is speculating that the track isn't suitable to go full speed again. And that's why the top four racers are staying out there, even though they're due for a pit stop. If the race is halted again they could sneak in for the win.

11:59: Back to a yellow flag, the pace car is leading the field around, and there's no rain in sight. Here we go.

11:58: The engines are running again, and the spotters are back in place.

11:54: The delay just passed the two-hour mark. And an hour has passed since NASCAR president Mike Helton said he expected a re-start in 30 minutes.

11:48: They're still trying to dry the track where all the cleaning was performed. Some "road bond" was put down in that area, but the drivers that Fox has been interviewing aren't voicing any concerns.

11:42: Carl Edwards will be starting at the back of the lead-lap racers when they resume. He had a violation for working on the car while the race was red-flagged during the delay. Edwards removed something from his windshield.

11:39: Dave Blaney can kiss his lead goodbye once they get going again. Fox reports he'll have to pit quickly for a chassis adjustment, and to get four new tires.

11:34: Latest report on the weather is that the storm cells that were hanging around in Daytona have finally broken up, so maybe that's one less thing to worry about.

11:31: Crew members have been shuttled out to help the drivers get back in and get set up. When the racing resumes there will be 100 miles to go. Fox has interviewed several drivers during the delay, and one thought that has been repeated by many is that they expect more crashes before we get to the checkered flag.

11:27: The one driver who really fell back during that last caution was Denny Hamlin. He had been running at the front or near it all night, but was getting loose and slipped back to 16th as the delay hit.

11:24: Drivers are headed back to their cars. Looks like they might get this going again soon.

11:23: Fox just updated that the stands still look three-quarters full. Our reporter at the race, Nate Ryan, says the frontstretch is still full, but that some folks have left on the backstretch. Daytona International holds 146,000, and the crowd tonight was estimated at 100,000.

11:20: Fox just aired a crowd shot, and it looks like the fans have stayed. No empty seats evident.

11:19: Even if the track is made suitable for resumed racing, there's still one other issue that could prevent the final 40 laps from being run: There is still rain in the Daytona Beach area. No rain is falling at the speedway now, nor has there been any during the delay of about 90 minutes, but that could change quickly.

11:13: If they do get this race going again, here's how the top 10 stand with 40 laps to go: 1. Dave Blaney, 2, Landon Cassill, 3. Tony Raines, 4. David Gilliland, 5. Matt Kenseth, 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 7. Casey Mears, 8. Kevin Harvick, 9. Jamie McMurray, 10. Greg Biffle.

10:59: The leader, Dave Blaney, sounds like he's feeling pretty lucky. He tells Fox he was getting ready to pit, but that his team decided he should stay out and take the lead for one lap while most everyone else headed in.

10:59: More from Helton: "We think everybody would like to see this race finished . . . There's no reason we can't wait another 30 minutes."

10:57: More from NASCAR president Mike Helton, on the track condition: "It's a function of it being able to hold up for the next 40 laps . . . It doesn't appear anything has to be done to the surface, that it will hold up." He did say there are some "gouges" in the track, but he says that shouldn't damage tires.

10:55: The delay just hit 60 minutes.

10:54: Some optimism from NASCAR president Mike Helton: "Hopefully in less than 30 minutes we can get back to racing."

10:52: The track is being scrubbed with Tide detergent.

10:50: Here's an aggravating tweet from @jeff_gluck: Regan Smith's spotter says, "They're saying an hour before they even fix the racetrack." So it looks like a long, long night ahead.

10:40: For those who don't follow NASCAR closely, it's worth mentioning that once the 200-lap Daytona 500 reached Lap 101 the race became official. If the track is damaged or can't be cleaned properly tonight, the traditional protocol would be to end it the way the order stands right now, with Dave Blaney in first place. Tonight's race has 40 laps to go. In 2009, Matt Kenseth was declared the Daytona winner when a downpour hit with 48 laps to go.

10:38: Some drivers were walking around the track, but NASCAR officials have come out and told them they need to stay with their cars.

10:35: The drivers are milling about on the track. So much for the rule that they can't talk to each other during the race.

10:24: Montoya tells Fox that he was an ambulance with the truck driver, and that he is all right, but "was pretty scared." Montoya lost control of his car because it was having some sort of a rear-end problem.

1o:23: The truck's drying engine was powered by jet fuel, and that's a big issue now, as plenty of it spilled onto the track and will have to be cleaned before racing can be resumed. Remember, there are still 40 laps to go, and David Blaney is leading. Montoya was driving at a high rate of speed even though the caution was out because he was trying to catch up to the pack.

10:18: The truck is off the track, and the surface will be examined by officials. Juan Pablo Montoya has been checked and released at the care center. The driver of the drying check has been taken to a hospital for further observation.

10:11: A lifting truck is out on the track, getting ready to try to pick up the burned truck. Officials don't want to drag it off the track. Its tires melted off in the blaze, and there's concern about damaging the track.

10:04: With the race halted and 40 laps to go the top five are: Dave Blaney, Landon Cassill, Tony Raines, David Gilliland and Matt Kenseth.

9:58: There was a big explosion when Montoya's car hit the truck, but both drivers are okay and walked away. The flames on the track-drying car looked like they were flying up 20 feet, but that blaze appears to be extinguished now. But this was an inferno, and it may be tough to drag the truck off the track. You can see melted steel on the truck.

9:55: Montoya's car also went ablaze, but he got out okay. The race has been red-flagged, and everyone is stopped well away from the fire on Turn 3. The fire is burning jet fuel from the track-drying truck.

9:53: We may be looking at a long delay as Juan Pablo Montoya, while driving under the caution, loses control and his car skids into the track-drying truck. A fire is burning, it looks like fuel is still leaking, and there's a question of whether this blaze will damage the track.

9:50: David Stremme spins out, so the seventh caution of the night is out. Everyone heads for the pits. Biffle and Earnhardt Jr. take two tires on the right side, but Stewart, Kyle Busch and Kahne go for four. Everyone is hoping that will be the last pit stop of the night.

9:46: Denny Hamlin, who has led the most laps, just told his crew that his car is getting loose and that he may have a tire problem. He has dropped back to 11th. But at least those problems are popping up for him at a time when making a pit stop is good strategy.

9:42: Fox's crew says everyone on the lead lap can make it to the finish with one more pit stop, and that we'll probably see them make the move in that direction soon.

9:41: Matt Kenseth keeps his momentum going, and he's in the lead with 48 laps to go. Remember, he almost looked like toast an hour ago, when his car over-heated. And right behind Kenseth, sitting second, is Earnhardt Jr.

9:36: Joey Logano makes a big surge to the front, ahead of Gibbs teammate Hamlin. Kenseth is starting to put on some heat and sits third, followed by Burton, Martin and Biffle. The weather alert is back on. There's rain to the west, and it could hit soon. Or not. We'll have to wait and see. 53 laps to go.

9:30: With 62 laps to go Biffle and Hamlin are running 1-2. They have been the dominant names tonight. Martin has slipped to third, and behind him are Tony Stewart and Regan Smith. Matt Kenseth has been hanging around in the top 10 and sits eighth. Making a big move is Kevin Harvick, who's up to ninth after being at the back of the 30 lead-lap racers much of the night. Danica is 39th, and 63 laps behind. She couldn't stick with the pack on the last re-start, and got left out there all alone.

9:28: NASCAR's senior citizen is suddenly in the lead as Mark Martin moves up when the re-start comes with 68 laps to go. Running second is Tony Stewart, the first time he has been up front all night long.

9:23: Everybody heads to the pits on the sixth caution of the night, and Regan Smith wins the race out of there, to take the lead for the first time tonight. Hamlin grabbed four new tires, and did Biffle. Sadler nearly caused a crash, when he couldn't find his pit.

9:21: Bowyer is getting a push into the pits from a tow truck. The number of cars on the lead lap is now down to 28.

9:19: Clint Bowyer was complaining about over-heating issues, but not he has somehow run out of gas on Lap 129, and he tries to coast into the pit, but can't get there. Somebody lost track of the fact he hadn't gassed up since Lap 82. The caution is out for the sixth time.

9:18: Denny Hamlin is still the leader on Lap 126. He has led for 47 laps, which is the most by anyone tonight. Elliott Sadler, back in 33rd place, has been given the word that he needs to pick up the pace of head for the garage.

9:16: Rain is falling west of the track, but it appears to be breaking up. If there's going to be a weather issue, it should hit soon, but for the moment it looks like the serious stuff has moved on.

9:13: Clint Bowyer has steadily been in the top 10, but he just told his crew that his No. 15 car is running hot and he can't cool it down. We're starting to hear more over-heating issues the last several laps. Temperature at the start was 69 degrees, but as they head for Lap 120 heat and humidity are getting to be a problem. There are 32 cars on the lead lap. Hamlin still leads.

9:07: Hamlin is still on the lead in lap 111. Pole winner Carl Edwards is 21st, and fighting fuel pressure issues, according to Fox. Truex Jr. is hanging with Hamlin, his teammate, sitting second. Behind them are Biffle, Burton and Bowyer. Making a big move up to sixth is Aric Almirola, the first time tonight his name has been among the leaders.

9:02: The Fox crew points out that plenty of halfway leaders have gone on to win the Daytona 500, but none in the last 20 years. Denny Hamlin grabs the lead back from Truex Jr., and Biffle is right with them. Biffle has led the most laps so far, and Hamlin ranks second in that category. They're on Lap 104.

8:59: Denny Hamlin gives Truex Jr. some help and vaults his teammate into the lead on Lap 100 for the $200,000 halfway bonus. That's two years in a row that Truex Jr. has claimed that honor.

8:56: Lap 98, two laps shy of halfway. Biffle hanging onto the lead, followed by Truex Jr., Hamlin, Burton and Martin.

8:50: Still on caution in Lap 91, with Biffle leading, followed by Ambrose, Truex Jr., Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Kahne. Danica is 39th and a ton of laps back after that early crash sent her to the garage. And the green flag falls. Don't forget the $200,000 bonus that the Lap 100 leader will get, if there's no caution at the time.

8:45: The caution is out for a fifth time, and Labonte's time in the lead was short-lived. He spun into the infield, and because of all the rain that has fallen this week he is stuck in the mud and spinning his tires.

8:44: Terry Labonte scoots into first on the re-start on Lap 85, followed by Biffle and Ambrose. Earnhardt Jr. is sitting 11th, and Fox just showed that he's wearing some black-and-white gloves that look like they came from a Halloween skeleton costume. If he raises his hand in victory, they could become a popular item.

8:37: With the caution out for a fourth time, everyone pits. Greg Biffle pulls out of there first, followed by Marcos Ambrose.

8:35: Jeff Gordon's engine just blew, so the No. 24 car is done for the night and the caution is out for the fourth time. Gordon said on his radio that a gauge wasn't functioning correctly, and he had no idea he was over-heating. Might be the same issue that hit Matt Kenseth a few laps back. They're on Lap 81.

8:33: They're on Lap 77, and Martin Truex Jr. has taken the lead. He's followed by Biffle, Ambrose, Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Martin. As the pack closes in on Lap 100, remember that the halfway leader gets a $200,000 bonus, so there could be some heavy jockeying on that trip around the track. So far, Jeff Burton and Hamlin have both led for 24 laps apiece, most in the field.

8:27: Danica Patrick is back on the track after that early crash that was caused by Jimmie Johnson. But Danica is 62 laps down, and just looking to get some experience now.

8:26: Matt Kenseth did indeed have some over-heating problems, but he's still on the lead lap.

8:25: Green flag gets them going again. Greg Biffle is on the lead, followed by Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch. We're on Lap 69.

8:21: Kenseth goes past the line in the pits and has to push back. Looks like he might have an over-heating issue. Hamlin pits for gas only, after getting four tires a little while back. Earnhardt Jr. tells Fox that his car is handling just the way he wants. Caution is still out.

8:18: The caution is out for the third time, because of some debris in Turn 2. Jeff Burton is back on the lead, followed by Greg Biffle. Landon Cassill is the lucky dog, and he'll get to make up a lap as he's allowed to drive past the pace car.

8:16: In the 60th lap, everyone has pitted except temporary leader Tony Stewart, who was blocked from entering. He'll head in at the next chance. That puts Jeff Gordon on the lead, even though he's said his car is running wide-open but not responding the way he wants. The No. 24 car is followed by Kasey Kahne, David Blaney, Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton.

8:12: For any late arrivals, here's a review of the early drama: Jimmie Johnson spun and crashed at the start of Lap 2, and took out Danica Patrick and defending champion Trevor Bayne, plus David Ragan. Danica has stayed in her car while her crew works on it in the garage, but there's no sign of her getting back on the track any time soon. Johnson is out, and Bayne is still hoping to come back.

8:08: Hamlin was sitting fourth, but heads for the pits to get four new tires because of some handling troubles. Jeff Burton still leads on Lap 55, followed by Biffle and Menard. Pole winner Carl Edwards is back in 27th. Matt Kenseth is 15th.

8:02: A big move puts Jeff Burton out front after 45 laps, and Greg Biffle goes with him, for second. Hamlin slips to third, followed by Menard, Regan Smith and Logano.

7:58: Moving up a couple of spots are Earnhardt Jr. to 12th, Tony Stewart to 14th and Mark Martin to 17th. The pack is very tight as they head into Lap 40.

7:54: Not much change among the leaders after 35 laps. Hamlin still in the lead, followed by Menard, Smith, Logano, Jeff Burton, Marcos Ambrose, Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and, in 10th, Jeff Gordon.

7:48: How some of the other big names are running through 17 laps: Greg Biffle, 10th; Jeff Gordon, 12th; Earnhardt Jr., 14th, Kyle Busch, 15th, Tony Stewart, 16th.

7:46: Here are the top five after 23 laps, in order: Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Regan Smith, Joey Logano and Jeff Burton.

7:43: Here's what happened on Ryan Newman's spinout: One of his tires came loose, and it also caused damage to A.J. Allmendinger's No. 22 car.

7:40: Paul Menard grabs the lead on the re-start in lap 16. Denny Hamlin is right there, and makes the pass to surge into first.

7:35: Defending champ Trevor Bayne is in the garage, watching his crew hammer on his car. Danica is sitting inside her No. 10 car, perhaps in hopes that she'll be rolling soon. With the caution out for the second time, the pits are packed.

7:33: They're on the 12th lap, and the caution is on again as Ryan Newman spins into the infield. Sparks are flying, indicating it's a tire issue. Greg Biffle is on the lead, and has been there for 10 of 12 laps.

7:31: Kyle Busch on the radio: "Are we kidding ourselves. We wait 36 hours and then we crash on the first lap." (Actually it was at the start of the second.) David Ragan also went to the care center, but has emerged and says he's all right, but his car is wrecked.

7:28: The re-start is about ready to go. Jimmie Johnson is on Fox, says he's okay and that "I'm just really, really bummed to start the year this way."

7:24: Fox is reporting that there's significant damage to the cars of Danica Patrick and Trevor Bayne. And Jimmie Johnson's left on the business end of a tow truck. He hasn't had much luck here since winning in 2006.

7:21: The early crash also banged up the car of defending champion Trevor Bayne. The irony is that the first Danica commercial is running on Fox minutes after she got caught in the crash. Four laps complete, and we're still under the caution. Replays show that Danica made two great dodges to avoid worse damage. Her car is in the garage.

7:19: Everyone has headed for the pits or the garages after that early crash.

7:15: After one lap we have our first crash of the night. It started with Jimmie Johnson, and David Ragan was taken out, as was Danica Patrick. Danica did a good job of avoiding Johnson's car, but couldn't quite make a clean escape.

7:14: The green flag drops. Temperature is 69 degrees, and the skies are slightly cloudy, but weather looks fine for now.

7:09: Carl Edwards, the pole-sitter, is on the radio with Fox and says his simple plan is to lead every lap he can.

7:08: Pace laps are under way. Fox had Tony Stewart on the radio, and he says it's not a terribly big deal that the drivers can't talk to each other on the radio this year, but that he'll miss it somewhat. He also said he won't push hard early, because the risk-reward factor doesn't favor that.

7:01: The "Start your engines command has been issued." They actually got it going one minute sooner than planned.

6:49: Bob Pockrass posts that there's still some iffy weather to the west of the track. For all you amateur meteorologists, here's a link to what the radar sees.

6:42: The national anthem will be sung by a woman from Daytona Beach, Melisa Tenbroeck. Not a big name, and apparently she's getting the opportunity because of the rainout. Pat Monahan of Train was the singer when they tried to get the race going yesterday.

6:26: NASCAR tweets an update on tonight's schedule. The invocation and national anthem are set for 6:53 ET, Fox will be on the air at 7, the start command will come at 7:01 and we should see the green flag at 7:13.

6:20: Interesting tweet from Jenna Fryer of AP: "And if you'd like to attend the D500 in person, come on. No one appears to be checking for any sort of tickets or credentials at tunnel."

6:o6: The weather at the track is good right now, but one more storm cell is expected to hit the area. Cars are rolling out to the starting grid.