Earnhardt Jr. wins at Daytona after rain delay

The fence acted like a slingshot, sending the sheared race auto back onto the track, where it landed on its roof and was hit again while the engine block smoldered nearby.

“I’ll ice up and go get ready for Kentucky”, Dillon said. “Just a frightening moment”. “I saw it in the mirror and I expected the worse when it came back around”, said Indiana native, Jimmie Johnson. He was examined and released from the track’s infield medical care center.

“I’m always concerned when there’s a wreck”.

“You want to make the sport as safe as possible, but we’re going to make mistakes like that on one lap sometime down the road at a superspeedway”, Hamlin said.

“I am just going to be really sore”.

“I think it would take away from the experience”. He went on to thank everybody for their concern on Twiiter, just a few hours after the life-threatening crash. Four were treated on-site. We shouldn’t go nuts and change a bunch of things to attempt to fix what may be unfix-able. “I can’t believe this is my final race here, but after going through that experience I’m glad I only have one more restrictor plate race left”. Daytona, along with Talladega Superspeedway, are considered the two fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit with top speeds reaching the 190 miles per hour range.

“This is the best finish I’ve had here in a long time, so I’ll take it”, he said. We’ve got to figure out something. I think our speeds are too high. “That’s the next thing”.

“The 11 (car of Denny Hamlin) got turned by the 4 (car of Kevin Harvick) across the start/finish line and I thought the race was going to be over right there”. The front of the field was running in a tight pack of cars. Dillon was present for numerous late Dale Earnhardt’s 34 wins at Daytona. “I mean, you’re just on the verge of tears, to be honest with you”. It’s hurled into the air over several cars and into catch cables feet away from spectators.

“That catch-fence was just gone, it was just this huge hole”, said Mr. Schellhase.

Earnhardt started on the pole and dominated this race by leading 96 of 161 laps. Weather forced the cancellation of qualifying Saturday. So had Dillon’s crash happened just two years ago, it could have been a true disaster.

Mulitple cars, including David Gilliland (38), Sam Hornish Jr.

A stunned Earnhardt seemed speechless as he crossed the finish line on his team radio.

Because grime would accumulate as races progress, Wheeler said, the challenge would be to keep the plastic clean so fans can see clearly. It was his fourth Sprint Cup Series win at Daytona.

Gordon finished sixth, Dillon seventh, Ryan Newman eighth, Bayne ninth and Clint Bowyer 10th.

The resulting crash involved at least seven cars.

When the No. 3 machine hit the catchfence the fence did a god job of containing the vehicle and keeping it on the track.

Like most NASCAR tracks, Daytona protects its fans with a chain-link fence, reinforced by strong steel cables.