Jamie McMurray held off a hard-charging Dale Earnhardt Jr. over a wild, two-lap sprint to win NASCAR's Daytona 500 Sunday. 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 event - which ended more than six hours after the first green flag. 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 128 kilometers. Then a flurry of late-race accidents put NASCAR's “green-white-checker” policy - an overtime of sorts - to the test. McMurray, using a boost from former teammate Greg Biffle, powered into the lead on the second and final green-white-checkered attempt. But Earnhardt, who restarted the final sprint in 10th place, was slicing his way through the field. He weaved in and out of traffic, shoving his Chevrolet into three-wide lines, eventually darting his way to McMurray's bumper. It was vintage Earnhardt – he's a 12-time Daytona winner spanning NASCAR's top two series – and McMurray was terrified to see him growing in his rearview mirror. Clint Bowyer finished fourth and was followed by David Reutimann.
