DAYTONA BEACH — Just call it the James Taylor 500.
"I've seen fire and I've seen rain."
It was already bad enough for sad, soggy race fans that the Daytona 500 was postponed by rain Sunday for the first time in its 54-year history.
But who would have ever imagined that the race would be delayed again late Monday night because of a jet fuel fire?
It's only appropriate that the No. 1 song in America right now is Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain." Who knew she was a NASCAR fan?
In one of the most bizarre incidents in racing history, driver Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his car and collided with a safety truck carrying jet fuel. The collision caused a huge explosion as 200 gallons of jet fuel poured out of the truck and caught fire on the track.
Said NASCAR President Mike Helton: "Just when you think you've seen it all, you see something different."
Two years ago it was potholes that ravaged the track, causing the race to be postponed until maintenance workers filled in the holes with Bondo. On Sunday, it was a deluge that postponed the race until Monday. And then on Monday, a jet dryer was blowing debris off the track during a caution when Montoya's car spun out of control and collided with a truck carrying a jet dryer and its tank of jet fuel.
In every way imaginable, this Daytona 500 will go down as one of the most disappointing of all time. This was supposed to be the Danica 500, but morphed into the Downpour 500 and then ignited into the Detonation 500.
Coming into the weekend, Danica Patrick was the big story, but, sadly for NASCAR, the Danica Delirium never materialized. Instead, fans endured two days of rain delays and Danica was involved in three wrecks in as many races. Moments after the 500 started Monday night, Jimmie Johnson lost control of his car on the second lap, causing Danica and defending race champion Trevor Bayne to wreck. Even though she eventually returned to the race, her car suffered heavy damage and was never a factor.
"Not exactly what we were hoping for," said Timmy Higgins, a Danica fan who came down from Atlanta. "She had some rotten luck this week."
So did the entire Daytona 500. Time and again, the race was delayed and pushed back by inclement weather. It reached a point when the race finally got underway Monday night when you expected the opening command to be, "Gentlemen, start your windshield wipers!"
Imagine how race fans must feel. Thousands and thousands of them save their money all year just so they can go on vacation to Florida and watch the Great American Race. Many of them had to leave to go back to work after rain postponed the race on Sunday. The ones that stayed Monday had to endure another seven-hour rain delay and then the bizzaro jet fuel delay.
Who would have ever thought that just two days ago we were talking about the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game constituting the greatest sports weekend in Central Florida history? The All-Star Game certainly held up its end of the bargain, but the same certainly can't be said for the James Taylor 500.
As Taylor himself might sing about this bizarre race,
"I've seen fire and I've seen rain,
I've seen jet fuel burning down by victory lane,
And I always thought I'd see Junior win one more time again."
mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.
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