McMurray holds off Earnhardt to win Daytona 500

2/14/2010

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jamie McMurray has won the Daytona 500, holding off a hard-charging Dale Earnhardt, Jr., over a wild, two-lap sprint to the finish of NASCAR's version of the Super Bowl.

The race was stopped twice and delayed for more than two hours because of a pothole at Daytona International Speedway, and the setback nearly derailed the race. NASCAR struggled to patch the hole, and drivers knew the pavement could tear at any time after the final repair.

It meant they had to race hard the final 80 miles, and did they ever.

Earnhardt drove from 10th to second over the final two laps, but was unable to chase down McMurray, who won his fourth career Sprint Cup race.