Driver tweets during race, causes online stir

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski caused an online stir during Monday's delayed Daytona 500 race by tweeting from his car and picking up over 100,000 Twitter followers in the process.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski caused an online stir during Monday's delayed Daytona 500 race by tweeting from his car and picking up over 100,000 Twitter followers in the process.

Keselowski posted a photograph of his view of the incident where a jet-dryer truck set fire spectacularly after being hit by Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya with 40 laps remaining.

The 28-year-old driver also tweeted quick reactions to incidents in the race and shared his phone with fellow-drivers during the two-hour break as the track was cleared of the truck.

Most professional sports ban competitors from tweeting during events but NASCAR, keen to make ground in social media, has taken a more lenient attitude.

The Dodge driver took advantage of several breaks in the race to update his followers.

Keselowski interactive approach was not only a hit with the thousands of fans who followed his tweets but his rivals also approved.

'That's how Brad is. That's what he makes and what he enjoys,' runner up Dale Earnhardt Jr told reporters.

'I thought it was pretty funny.'

Keselowski finished 32nd in the race won by Matt Kenseth after being involved in a group collision late in the race.

'Nothing we could do there... never saw the wreck till we were windshield deep,' he tweeted.