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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Jeff Owens l Sporting News

Excitement is in the air as NASCAR’s Sprint Cup teams descend on Daytona International Speedway and fans get revved up for the Daytona 500 and the 2010 season.

But NASCAR faces some serious issues as it heads into a new season.

Attendance is down. TV ratings continue to decline. Souvenir sales are in the tank. And the tough economy is taking a toll on the sport, forcing teams to tighten their belts and making sponsors more difficult to find.

All this means one thing: Fan interest is on the decline.

How does NASCAR address these issues, appeasing disenchanted fans and curbing declining interest?

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Dustin Parks -  Bleacher Report.com

The countdown is on. Saturday night, the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season gets under way with the Budweiser Shootout. A mere eight days later, it will be the Daytona 500 taking center stage, as one driver will put their name in an elite category with names such as Allison, Petty, Yarborough and Earnhardt.

Even with the success of the 2009 campaign for many drivers, leading into this year, questions still remained even after the final checkered flag flew at Homestead.

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