Jimmie Johnson won the Daytona 500 on Sunday as pole sitter Danica Patrick's bid to become the first woman to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race ended in an eighth-placed finish. Johnson held off a last-lap charge from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr at Daytona International Speedway to win "The Great American Race" for the second time. Mark Martin was third.

By Simon Evans DAYTONA BEACH, Florida Feb 24 (Reuters) - NASCAR favourite Dale Earnhardt Jr predicted Danica Patrick will "make a lot of history" in the sport after she finished eighth on Sunday in just her second start in the Daytona 500. Patrick, the first woman to start the race on pole, went into the final lap in third place but fell back five places as Jimmie Johnson held on for victory ahead of Earnhardt Jr.

Jimmie Johnson won the Daytona 500 on Sunday with pole sitter Danica Patrick's bid to become the first woman to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race ending in an eighth-placed finish. Johnson held off a last-lap charge from Dale Earnhardt jnr at Daytona International Speedway to win "The Great American Race" for the second time. Mark Martin was third. Patrick, already the first woman to earn pole position for a race in NASCAR's elite series, grabbed another slice of racing history when she became the first woman to lead a lap of the Daytona 500.

By Simon Evans DAYTONA BEACH, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A day after a chilling crash injured about 30 spectators at Daytona International Speedway, fans packed the stands on Sunday to watch Jimmie Johnson win his second Daytona 500 in a race marred by questions about safety and the potential for lawsuits. The race started on schedule at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) at the 167,000-capacity venue.