DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jamie McMurray held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the Daytona 500 on Sunday, a finish so thrilling it just about made up for a pothole that nearly derailed the Super Bowl of NASCAR.

NASCAR needed two stoppages of well over two hours total to patch a pesky pothole between turns 1 and 2 of Daytona International Speedway. The setback brought the biggest race of the season to a frustrating halt and had NASCAR executives fretting over the potential fallout.

But when the second patch had been filled, the action picked up tremendously as drivers had to race as if the hole could rip open again at any moment, ending the race on any lap. Did they ever.

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