Nascar /Daytona 500 Cover

DAYTONA BEACH -- Matt Kenseth staved off a late charge from Dale Earnhardt Jr. off turn 4 of the final lap to win his second Daytona 500 early this morning in a crash-marred race that included Juan Pablo Montoya crashing into a jet dryer.

DAYTONA BEACH -- The Daytona 500 race has been red-flagged at lap 160 the result of Juan Pablo Montoya crashing his car into a jet dryer vehicle during a caution lap and resuilting in a fire.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Could Sunday's running of the Daytona 500 be a repeat of the rain-shortened 2009 race? Things could get slick with the National Weather Service in Melbourne calling for a 40 percent chance of rain, though that precipitation could arrive by late afternoon.

DAYTONA BEACH -- The racing world mourns the on-track death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, including NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr. whose father was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Carl Edwards is a speed demon and his pole-winning qualifying time for the Daytona 500 is a testament to that label: With a lap of 194.738 mph today, he posted the fastest time in more than a decade on the super speedway.

DAYTONA BEACH -- ESPN is reporting that a deal has been worked out that would guarantee Danica Patrick a start in the Daytona 500 and provide her with spots for much of the Sprint Cup schedule.

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Photo by Motorsports Images and Archives for NASCAR / Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 champion, talks live to ESPN's SportsCenter in front of his No. 21 Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car Monday at Daytona International Speedway.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500, but if he's looking for a cup championship, he'll have to get it in the Nationwide series, the understudy to the Sprint series.

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Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for NASCAR / Carl Edwards and David Ragan congratulate Trevor Bayne in victory lane after the 53rd Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach

DAYTONA BEACH – It seems only fitting that this Daytona 500, won by 20-year-old Trevor Bayne, the youngest-ever driver to take the checkered flag, would prove to be a race that broke all kinds of records.