Fire forces Daytona 500 to pause with 40 laps left

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (AP) — Journeyman driver Dave Blaney is leading the Daytona 500, which has been red-flagged after Juan Pablo Montoya's car sent him spinning into a safety truck.

The truck, which holds 200 gallons of jet kerosene, burst into flames. Montoya's car slid into the grass, and he gingerly climbed from it as fire trucks rushed to the scene. The inferno raged on, and NASCAR red-flagged the race with 40 laps remaining.

NASCAR officials are examining the track surface to determine whether the race could continue.

Jet fuel poured down the surface of Turn 3 at Daytona International Speedway, creating a fiery lasting image of NASCAR's biggest race of the year.