Daytona 500 halted after wreck; Blaney leads

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Daytona 500 has been halted by a fiery explosion caused when Juan Pablo Montoya slammed into a jet dryer under caution.

Ohio-native Dave Blaney was leading at the time of the wreck. He would win the race if NASCAR ended the race with 40 laps to go.

Montoya was driving well behind the rest of the field when something on his car broke, and he started sliding out of control toward the truck, which holds 200 gallons of jet kerosene.

Montoya's No. 42 Chevrolet hammered the truck, setting off an explosion and sending fuel pouring onto the famed track.

Montoya got out unharmed, although he seemed to stagger around the infield grass. The driver of the truck had to be helped from the vehicle.

Behind Blaney are Landon Cassill, Tony Raines and David Gilliland. All of them are relative unknowns in the Sprint Cup Series.

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