The 2012 NASCAR Daytona 500 was hyped (as are all NASCAR races) as an epic contest, a once-in-a-lifetime (annual) event: The Great American Race, the promoters call it un-ironically.
This time the race lived up to the hype. Sort of.
Delayed by rain for the first time in its 54-year history, run at night in prime time for the first time, almost stopped due to a freak fire, and finally (as usual) ending with a Green-White-Checker sprint, this year’s Daytona 500 generated anticipation and excitement beyond other years.
The primary question was would the race happen at all? The race was delayed by rain Sunday afternoon and again Sunday evening, and then again postponed until Monday at noon. Never before had Mother Nature refused to cooperate entirely. Several 500s have been delayed, interrupted, or shortened by rain, but every one of then went off as scheduled on Sunday—until this year.
