That sure wasn't how NASCAR planned it to go or play out, but the end results of the 2012 Daytona 500 were worth all the drama. In the end, Matt Kenseth, the driver of the No. 17 car, earned his second victory in the "Great American Race" at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, FL. on Tuesday.
Kenseth edged Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle in a final-lap showdown that came right down to the wire.
Overall, the Daytona 500 took more than 48 hours to complete, as the traditional Sunday start was postponed until late Monday night, which started off great but faced a two-hour, five-minute delay when Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a track jet dryer, which exploded into flames with about 40 laps remaining.
Miraculously, Montoya and the truck driver escaped the blaze unharmed. The race, however, was red flagged as cleanup had to take place.
The green flag waved again after midnight Tuesday, and after three more cautions, the last resulting in a green-white-checkered finish, Kenseth came out the victor in one of the most memorable (or forgettable) Daytona 500's in history.
Trenton, N.J. native Martin Truex Jr. finished in 12th place, while Danica Patrick finished 38th after wrecking early. Defending race champion Trevor Baine ended in 35th place, while defending Spring Cup champion Tony Stewart finished 16th after being involved in a late-race crash.
Here are the unofficial results of the 2012 Daytona 500:
1) Matt Kenseth (17)
2) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88)
3) Greg Biffle (16
4) Denny Hamlin (11)
5) Jeff Burton (31)
6) Paul Menard (27)
7) Kevin Harvick (29)
9) Carl Edwards (99)
10) Joey Logano (20)
11) Mark Martin (55)
12) Martin Truex Jr (56)
13) Marcos Ambrose (9)
14) Bobby Labonte (41)
15) Dave Blaney (36)
16) Tony Stewart (16)
17) Kyle Busch (18)
18) Terry Labonte (2)
19) Tony Raines (26)
20) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (6)
21) Ryan Newman (39)
22) Landon Cassill (22)
23) David Gilliland (38)
24) Regan Smith (78)
25) Casey Mears (13)
26) David Reutimann (93)
27) Elliot Sadler (33)
28) Joe Nemechek (87)
29) Kasey Kahne (5)
30) Michael McDowell (98)
31) Jamie McMurray (1)
32) Brad Keselowski (2)
33) Aric Almirola (43)
34) AJ Allmendinger (34
35) Trevor Bayne (37)
36) Juan Pablo Montoya (42)
37) David Stremme (30)
38) Danica Patrick (38)
39) Kurt Busch (51)
40) Jeff Gordan (24)
41) Robby Gordon (7)
42) Jimmie Johnson (48)
43) David Ragan (34)
For more on the Daytona 500, head to SB Nation's stream. For more NASCAR, check out NASCAR Ranting & Raving.