Daytona 500 ends in massive fireball after horrific crash

The Daytona 500 ended in a terrifying fiery inferno on Sunday, as the popular event culminated in a massive multi-vehicle pile up. The final lap saw a huge fireball on the track as cars smashed into each other. Luckily, none of the drives involved suffered serious injuries from the accident.

The NASCAR Cup Series event ended in absolute chaos after Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski crashed into each other. The teammates were leading the race before they caused the major pile-up.

The rest of the pack was unable to avoid the collision, as Austin Cindric hit the back of Keselowski's car. More drivers got caught up in the melee as a huge fireball made it difficult to see what was happening. The resulting disaster left only 11 cars intact at the end of the race.

Other drivers who were involved include Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Ryan Preece and Ross Chastain.

NASCAR made the call to stop racing and Michael McDowell was eventually announced as the winner after some moments of confusion. He was tight in a battle with reigning champion Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon before the caution flags were raised to signal the end of racing. McDowell won the event with a slim 0.07 second margin ahead of Elliott. Dillon came in third with a mere 0.001s gap.

It was an absolute miracle that no one was seriously injured after several cars disappeared into the flames.

The event was hit by a number obstacles, starting with a six-hour delay due to the weather conditions. Apart from the inferno at the end, there was another 16-car smash-up that took place in the 14th lap.

It was an absolute thriller of a race, and McDowell is still in disbelief. "I just can't believe it. So many years just grinding it out, waiting for an opportunity like this. I'm so thankful, such a great way to get a first victory. Daytona 500, are you kidding me!"