5-time champ Johnson wrecks early in Daytona 500

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Then he got caught in a late-race crash _ and tweeted again about a minute after the accident.

“Nothing we could do there,” he posted. “Never saw the wreck till we were windshield deep.”

Driver Juan Pablo Montoya’s collision with a large jet dryer vehicle touched off a huge fireball, bringing the race to a screeching halt for more than two hours. Montoya and the driver of the truck were OK.

NASCAR officials had the rest of the drivers stop their cars, and Keselowski took advantage of the break to post photos and answer questions from fans on his Twitter account. He apparently carries his mobile phone with him in his race car.

Keselowski tripled his number of followers in the process, going from approximately 65,000 before the race to nearly 200,000 as the race resumed.

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PERFECT TIMING: Martin Truex Jr. picked the perfect time to take the lead in the Daytona 500.

Truex picked up a $200,000 bonus for Michael Waltrip Racing by leading at the halfway point of the race.

Truex passed Greg Biffle on lap 100 and held off the pack for the big paycheck.

NASCAR’s most prestigious race came with a record purse of more than $19 million, and officials tweaked the payout rules this season to add more incentive to leading at the halfway point of the season opener.

Drivers, especially those behind the wheel for smaller teams, openly talked about going for the halfway bonus.

Truex brought it home, though. He finished 12th, earning $535,052.

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SPARK PLUGS: Since winning the Daytona 500 in 2006, Jimmie Johnson has finished 39th, 27th, 31st, 35th, 27th and now 42nd. … Dale Earnhardt Jr. extended his winless streak to 130 races. … Defending series champion Tony Stewart started third and led two laps, but he was hardly a factor down the stretch and finished 16th _ his worst showing since Dover at Oct. 2, 2011. He extended his losing streak in the Daytona 500 to 14 years.