DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Danica Patrick seized the lead in the middle of Sunday's Daytona 500, nothing but daylight ahead on Lap 90 of 200. She was the first female ever to run in front under a green flag at NASCAR's Sprint Cup level, just needing to cruise through Turn 4 and hit the start/finish line to make it official.

In the "500 Club" located high above Daytona International Speedway, Patrick's mother and father, Bev and T.J., and her younger sister Brooke, all looked down as she whipped past them through this famed frontstretch with an emotional mix of pride, relief and I-told-you-so satisfaction.

"I knew she'd lead a lap," Brooke said after the race. "I just knew she could do it. I never had a doubt."

"I just kind of thought, 'Oh, there's history again,' " Bev said. "Then it was, 'Keep going, keep going.' "

Danica Patrick greets fans before the start of the Daytona 500. (REUTERS)Danica kept going all right, running all day near the front of the pack, leading again from laps 127-129 and barreling along in third place halfway through the

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A number of top contenders were caught up in a violent, major wreck during the 33rd lap of the Daytona 500, dramatically changing the competitive flavor of the race.

Top drivers including the past two Sprint Cup champions Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart, as well as past Daytona 500 champions Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick were roughed up in the nine-car collision. Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Khane and Austin Dillon were also among those involved. Kahne, McMurray, Montoya, Harvick and Stewart all headed to the garage.

Danica Patrick and race leaders including Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were able to escape the carnage behind them.

[Related: Jimmie Johnson wins Daytona 500 with powerful late-race stand]

"The hell with the season, I wanted to win the Daytona 500," said Stewart, who's never won the Daytona 500 in 15 tries.

Khane, running fifth on the outside, spun out heading into Turn 1 causing a chain reaction behind him that took a

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Give NASCAR credit for this, the racing circuit continues to attempt to diversify its fan base.

Rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson signs autographs prior to the Daytona 500. (Getty Images)This year, in a continued effort to show racing fast cars should appeal to more than just its traditionally white fan base, the circuit brought in African American celebrities such as recording artists 50 Cent and T.I. and future Hall of Fame NFL star Ray Lewis to the Daytona 500. It's a long way from the traditional slate of country singers.

Yet even with the best intentions, the intended message may not be getting out.

"Damn, I don't see no black people lol," 50 Cent tweeted Sunday after arriving at Daytona International Speedway.

That was about the last message NASCAR was hoping to have hammered home to 50 Cent's nearly eight million followers.

The truth is the truth though. NASCAR itself has taken numerous steps through the years in attempt to open up its fan base – if for no other reason than to tap into a potential lucrative market.

It sets up

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a joyless, near silent victory lane, Tony Stewart went through NASCAR's corporate "hat dance" – posing in front of a trophy for pictures with various sponsors that make this expensive sport operate.

After nearly each forced smile wearing a another logo'd hat next to another senior vice president of marketing something, Stewart kept snapping his head back up and to the right, craning his neck and staring off into the grandstands across from him.

He did it time and time again, with almost every momentary break as he was handed another hat and someone else climbed into place, he looked up, hoping for an angle on what was happening, hoping for hope.

It was clear there was carnage across the way. Just before the finish line of the Nationwide race Stewart just won, there was a destroyed safety fence, a casualty of a violent, multi-vehicle, high-speed wreck that sent parts of Kyle Larson's car scattering into the mostly filled grandstands.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After an ignition failure ended Danica Patrick's Nationwide race early on Saturday, she was asked if she planned on enjoying a calm, quiet night in preparation for Sunday's Daytona 500.

Danica Patrick talks with members of her team after she had engine problems. (AP) "Well, I'm probably going to be angry watching the [Nationwide] race rather than being in it for a while," she said.

Danica wasn't pleased on Saturday after an excellent start to the Nationwide race blew up 30 laps into the 120-lap race when her car lost power going into Turn 3.

"It just died," she said.

Patrick made a mistake of inexperience when she chose to roll her car directly to the garage, rather than pit road where the issue could have potentially been fixed.

[Related: Danica Patrick vs. Tiger Woods]

In the end, it didn't matter. Danica was done.

"A good lesson that if there was a potential fix at some point, you know you just always go down pit lane and get in your pit box and just do everything possible to fix it," Patrick said.

Standing outside

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In 1997 Tiger Woods became the first African American to win the Masters, an accomplishment that was historic, impactful and, for millions, emotionally moving. It was one of those times when sports shapes society at large.

Sunday, Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to lead the field to the green flag of the Daytona 500 and her goal is to become the first female to ever win a Sprint Cup race of any kind, in this case the sport's most famous and popular event.

Would it compare to what Tiger did 16 years ago?

The answer likely varies from person to person, but in a sports world where the historical importance of an accomplishment is often overstated, even NASCAR fans suffering from Danica fatigue would have a difficult time minimizing it.

Tiger's accomplishment nearly speaks for itself. He wasn't just breaking racial barriers; he was also the youngest golfer to win at Augusta National, a 21-year-old shooting star who simply immolated the

Jimmie Johnson holds his daughter Evie while standing with wife Chandra. (Getty Images)DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A pink, plastic toy race car is parked outside Jimmie Johnson's motor coach here in the infield of Daytona International Speedway, right next to the pink, plastic toy kitchen.

It is property of Evie Johnson, age two-and-a-half. It represents both the ultimate joy and about the only possible disappointing trend in her father's current blissful existence.

Yes, little Evie is interested in auto racing. It's just her favorite driver may not actually be her own dad, the five-time Sprint Cup champion, but rather someone who's never won a single stock car race.

"Danica," Johnson says with mock disappointment and a shake of his head. "I'm second place. It's at least migrating that way. She can spot two cars on the track, one is the 48 and the other is the bright green car.

"[Tuesday] she wanted to see Danica's car, so we took her to Danica's car and then went back to the truck and she got to meet Danica herself. So it was a big day for Evie."

(Johnson

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The fireball across the way flashed into the dark night causing their heads to jerk up and take notice. Inside the race control room, high above Daytona International Speedway, a group of NASCAR and track officials stared out in shock, awe and horror.

The Daytona 500 was on fire.

"You can't print what got said," Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition said. "It was just in unison, 'Holy whatever.' "

Juan Pablo Montoya's rear suspension had just failed during the yellow flagged lap 160 of last year's Daytona 500, causing him to skid into a jet dryer that was innocently clearing debris from the famed track. The result was a massive explosion before Montoya's car even slid down into the grass.

The sport's signature race, already moved for the first time in 54 years to prime-time Monday due to inclement weather, was now dealing with the most improbable of situations. "I have hit a lot of things, but a jet dryer?" Montoya would