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Major crash halts Daytona 500

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Ticker) -- The Daytona 500 resumed after it was stopped for 16 minutes and 25 seconds following a major 19-car crash.

The crash was so wicked, it launched Tony Stewart's Pontiac into the air down the backstretch and decimated the field, taking out many of the contenders for victory. The race was red-flagged after the 21-car crash.

The green flag was waved on lap 180, 20 laps from the finish.

The crash began as the field came out of the second turn. Robby Gordon tapped Ward Burton's Dodge coming out of the second turn, which turned Burton's car into Stewart. That sent Stewart head-on into the backstretch wall and sent the car airborne on the 175th lap.

Stewart's car flew about 20 feet into the air and landed upside-down on Robby Gordon's Chevrolet. It then went into several hard barrel rolls down the backstretch.

That started a major crash that also involved defending Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett, Steve Park, Buckshot Jones, John Andretti, Jerry Nadeau, Jeff Gordon, Ward Burton, Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Elliott Sadler, Andy Houston, Robby Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Terry Labonte, Kenny Wallace, Bobby Labonte and Jeremy Mayfield.

"It was just a wall of cars in front of me and a lot of us didn't have anywhere to go," Jeff Gordon said. "It's going to happen with these kinds of rules, somebody can't make a mistake. The guys were putting on a heck of a show and doing a real good job, but that is going to happen if someone makes a mistake."

Stewart was the only driver to be transferred to Halifax Hospital for further evaluation. He was alert and talking complaining of shoulder pain. The other drivers were treat and released from the infield care center.

"I guess that's it, it's going to happen," Bobby Labonte said. "These rules are a good recipe for it. They took Tony to the hospital, but it looks like he will be all right."

 

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