Fiery crash didn't stop Daytona 500

By Carlos Diaz

updated 5:48 AM EST, Mon February 25, 2013

NEED TO KNOW

Flying debris from crash Saturday left 28 fans injured
Jimmie Johnson wins, Danica Patrick comes in 8th

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 24, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Daytona 500 took place Sunday as scheduled, despite a fiery crash in Saturday's Nationwide Event.

At least 28 people were injured, including 2 fans in critical condition who were later stabilized. A large number of those fans were released in time to see Jimmie Johnson win the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Video: Nationwide race at Daytona ends with huge crash

As cars were racing toward the finish line at 175 miles per hour during Saturday's Nationwide race, Kyle Larson's car went airborne and smashed into a 22-foot-high safety fence. 28 fans were injured by flying debris from the car.

Speedway officials worked all night to fix the fence and at 8am Sunday, NASCAR gave the fence a thumbs up giving the green light for Danica Patrick to lead all of the drivers to the green flag to start the Daytona 500. Patrick ended up finishing eighth behind Jimmie Johnson, who got his second Daytona 500 victory.

Bleacher Report: Jimmie Johnson wins Daytona 500: Full results, analysis

Morning Express with Robin Meade airs Monday through Friday at 6am ET on HLN. Like the show on Facebook, follow sports anchor Carlos Diaz on Twitter: @CarlosHLN.

Our partners:

Join the conversation...

HLNtv.com welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.