Daytona 500 postponed again - latimes.com DAYTONA BEACH - After a delay of more than an hour, they are back racing at the Daytona 500. But after a near accident, they are under caution again. In what has turned into one of the craziest races in event history, the drivers are attempting to finish the final 40 laps. And with 22 remaining, Matt Kenseth is in the lead, followed by Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The race was red flagged at around 10:40 p.m. after Juan Pablo Montoya ran into a track drying vehicle during a caution. The vehicle was out on the track blowing off debris. Montoya, who was running by himself trying to catch up with the pack and was getting ready to pass the vehicle, lost control, possibly because of a transmission problem, and smashed into the vehicle near turn 3, causing it to burst into flames. Montoya was taken to the care center and released. He had an X-ray on his left foot, but said it's "just a scratch," and that he is OK. He was not limping or wearing any kind of boot while leaving the care center. The truck driver was taken to the Halifax Health Center, where, according to Fox TV, he is resting comfortably and under observation. "It just felt really strange and as I was talking in the radio the car just turned right," Montoya told the Orlando Sentinel. I've hit a lot of things, but a jet dryer? No," the 36-year-old added. Montoya rode in the ambulance with the driver of the truck. "I'm sure he's pretty shaken and is going to be sore, but I think he's OK," Montoya said. The vehicle has been described by Fox commentators as "a jet engine that is used to dry the track." It uses jet fuel, which caught fire. After several minutes and multiple attempts, the track crew was able to extinguish the fire. They removed the truck from the scene and track officials are examining the extent of the damage to the track. There is concern about the racing surface around turn 3, which has had a large amount of jet fuel spilled on it. And, while NASCAR has said it hopes to finish the race, there is also rain in the forcast. Dave Blaney is leading the race. If it must be stopped, he will be the good-luck recipient of a win on the sport's biggest stage. Landon Cassill is in second place, Tony Raines third and David Gilliland fourth. Montoya's crazy wreck is just one of several nutty events during this long race weekend. The race was originally supposed to be run on Sunday afternoon, but was delayed several times during the day because of rain and then finally postponed until Monday. The postponement was the first in race history. The race was then supposed to start at noon Monday, but was pushed back to 7 p.m., again because of rain. Once the race did finally begin, a couple of the sports' biggest stars were eliminated from contention almost immediately. Five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was bumped by Elliott Sadler and lost control of his car on the race's second lap, running into the wall and causing a chain-reaction wreck. Among the other drivers caught up in the accident were Danica Patrick, defending Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne, David Ragan and Kurt Busch. All drivers were OK, and Bayne and Patrick returned to the race, although they are each more than 30 laps behind and out of contention for a win. Johnson, Ragan and Busch are all out. Later, former NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon blew his engine and left the race and Martin Truex Jr. won a $200,000 bonus for leading at the halfway point. Staff writer Todd M. Adams contributed to this report