Daytona 500 2012 Live Results: Debris Caution Allows For Quick Break

Whew.

After a long run which required green-flag pit stops for all the lead-lap cars, NASCAR officials spotted debris in Turn 2 and momentarily slowed the 2012 Daytona 500.

Since the two early cautions, things had settled down a bit as drivers ticked off some laps with two-by-two racing in a big pack. Clearly, the tandem drafting during the meat of the race is a thing of the past – just as NASCAR hoped.

Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle have led the most laps in tonight’s race so far, with Hamlin leading a 24-lap stretch before green-flag stops began.

Danica Patrick is back on the track after being involved in a lap 2 collision. She is 62 laps down and in 40th place – not the debut she and NASCAR were looking for after months of hype leading into her first Sprint Cup Series race.

There are three cars officially listed as “out” of the race: David Ragan, Jimmie Johnson and Robby Gordon. Kurt Busch is still in the garage after the lap 2 wreck but is trying to get back out.