WATCH: The Big One strikes the Daytona 500

In the Daytona 500, it is not a question of if there is going to be a massive pile-up, it is a question of when.

During Monday's postponed running of the NASCAR Cup season-opener, with just eight laps to go, it was coming as the field had been thundering around the superspeedway three lanes wides for lap upon lap.

Approaching Turn 3 on Lap 192 of 200, it happened.

William Byron tagged Brad Keselowski in his #6 machine, after a bump from Alex Bowman in the #48, spitting the 2012 Cup champion across the track and straight into Team Penske's Joey Logano in the #22 - cue chaos.

Only race-leader Ross Chastain, Byron and Bowman made it through the melee without some sort of contact as fancied runners Logano, Keselowski, reigning champion Ryan Blaney and three-time 500 winner Denny Hamlin were among those to be spun around.

After a red flag for the clean-up, the race actually ended at the start of Lap 200 instead of the end of it as Chastain tried to move to the inside on the front-stretch, but was spun, bringing out the caution flags.

However, as race leader Byron had already taken the white flag to signal the final lap, NASCAR rules dictate that at this point, a caution flag ends the race, and so the #24 - Jeff Gordon's old car - returned to victory lane at Daytona.

Bowman finished second in a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2, 40 years to the day since Rick Hendrick founded the eponymous outfut that has gone onto become the most successful team in NASCAR history;

Alternatively, you can click the link here to see the footage.