DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Matt Kenseth took the lead in the nick of time today to win a rain-shortened Daytona 500.

Kenseth passed Elliott Sadler on Lap 146 just before a yellow flag flew and rain that had been threatening all day finally arrived. After 152 laps, NASCAR pulled the cars off the track about 6:30 p.m. and waited less than 20 minutes to make the call, ending the race.

Sadler had picked up the lead when he was on pit road as a caution came out. He kept it through an earlier caution during which he checked the weather with his team. When told the radar showed the rain all around, Sadler said, "that's my luck — it's raining on the radar and not on the race track."

Right after Kenseth took the lead away, with Kevin Harvick, AJ Allmendinger and Clint Bowyer moving up past Sadler in the draft, Aric Almirola was punted in traffic and spun to bring out the yellow just before the rain began.

It was Kenseth's first Sprint Cup victory since the final race of the 2007 season at Homestead, Fla. It was also the first Daytona 500 victory for his car owner, Jack Roush.

"It's just an unbelievable feeling," a tearful Kenseth said after the race was called. "I've had some fast cars, I have just never made the right moves."

The sudden, abrupt ending to the afternoon's proceedings capped an unusual day that included a controversial incident involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Lap 124.

Two different pit road errors had put Earnhardt a lap down. He made up the first one but for the restart in question was the first car a lap down on the inside.

Brian Vickers, who had pitted just before a yellow to get caught on the end of the lead lap, tried to make a move to the inside. Vickers crowded Earnhardt and forced him below the yellow line. As Earnhardt moved back up, he clipped Vickers' Toyota and sent it back across the track and into traffic.

Several of the cars that had been among the best all day wound up in a pile and then went sliding through the grass at the end of the frontstretch.

Kyle Busch's car, which had been dominant to that point, was badly damaged. So were those of Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards, all of which had all been running well, too.

"Some guys having a bad day made their bad day our bad day," Busch said.

Vickers said he was racing Earnhardt to be the first car a lap down.

"Junior just turned us," Vickers said. "He just hooked us. To wreck somebody in front of the entire field like that is pretty dangerous."

Earnhardt said he was innocent of any wrongdoing.

"Yeah, it was accidental. I didn't want to wreck the field," Earnhardt said.

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Almirola spun on Lap 8 to bring out the first yellow, but early leader Kyle Busch decided to stay on the track and keep the lead. NASCAR planned a competition caution on Lap 25 and the teams that stayed out were waiting for that.

Busch stayed in the lead ahead, but Earnhardt moved to second and towards third as Martin lost a little ground right before that planned yellow flag.

Busch kept the lead through the pit stop and held the top spot against all challengers as Earnhardt pulled the outside line almost even on Lap 40. But Busch's Toyota still managed to hold on at the front of the big lead draft.

Earnhardt finally got the lead on Lap 53, but one lap later Tony Stewart got past him after having had to start from the rear of the pack in a backup car following a crash in Saturday's final practice.

One lap later Travis Kvapil hit the wall in his No. 28 Ford and brought out the yellow flag, allowing the cars to come to pit road for more fuel and tires.

That proved costly for Earnhardt, who missed his pit stall on his first trip down pit road. He had to come back around and pit that time, which dropped him to 35th on the restart on Lap 60.

Stewart had the lead when the green flew with Gordon on his rear bumper. Busch was still there, too, while McMurray and Hamlin were in the battle up front as well.

Gordon got a big shove at the end of the backstretch from Busch on Lap 69 and claimed the lead. Gordon was still leading on Lap 81 when Joey Logano crashed and brought out the yellow flag.

Busch led Hamlin and Gordon off pit road and was in front for the restart on Lap 86. The racing pace seemed to pick up after the green flew because teams were worried that rain could move in soon after the race reached the midway point. If it rained after that, the race would be official, so drivers seemed to be determined to get while the getting was good.

Busch was leading at the halfway point on Lap 100, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. The last driver to lead the Daytona 500 at halfway and then go on to win it was the late Davey Allison in 1992.

Hamlin moved into second with Edwards third and McMurray fourth as the middle portion of the race continued. Gordon dropped back and was the first to come to pit road under the green because he felt he was abusing his right-front tire.

He got on and off pit road in time to be the first car a lap down, and that paid off when David Stremme's Dodge blew a right-rear to bring out a yellow flag.

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