Monday 27th February 2012
While 2010 was the longest distance, 2012 was the longest time to complete the race. Scheduled for a 12 noon EST start on Sunday (27 Februray), rain delayed the race to Monday, then further delayed it to a 7 PM start that Monday night, resulting in the first primetime Daytona 500 start (but the third to reach primetime). On lap 160, Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer in turn 3, sparking a lengthy red flag as crews put out the resulting fire and repaired the damage. The race finally ended at approximately 1 AM EST Tuesday morning, 37 hours after the originally scheduled start, with Matt Kenseth becoming the first repeat winner since Jeff Gordon who won the 2005 race. It was attended by that year’s presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who met his once removed sixteenth cousin and professional wrestler John Cena, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and musician Lenny Kravitz there.
