NASCAR Digging Themselves a Hole

UPDATE: Jamie McMurray finally wins the Daytona 500 driving the #1 Bass Pro Shops Car after three green-white-checker restarts.

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I never watch racing live - always use the TiVO to skip the commercials. However, thanks to two lengthy red flag delays at Daytona I'm stuck watching the latest red flag coverage live. The track has been tearing up in one corner. They stopped for 1:41 to fix it the first time, and now they've stopped again as they try another patch after the first one failed in 39 laps. Only 39 to go, but they can't let them run on a disintegrating track.

The drivers are ready to run despite the hole. One guy said "just put a cone over it and tell us not to hit the cone". That might work.

This isn't good for NASCAR. This is their biggest event of the year but it's turning into a bit of a PR disaster, not unlike the 2008 Brickyard 400 and Indianapolis when the tires were shredding after only 10 laps.

They gotta get this fixed. I'm sure their TV audience is fleeing and anyone who was trying out NASCAR for the first time today won't be impressed.

The sun is about to set in Daytona, but they've got lights and can stay as long as they have to. I'm not sure the fans will be there when it's finally all done.

Maybe they can get Danica Patrick, the newest "Savior of NASCAR", to come out and do live versions of her GoDaddy.com commercials. THAT might keep them in their seats and tuned in on TV.