The Great American Race.  For 52 years the best drivers in the world have battled it out for the most prestigious award in all of NASCAR.  To be among those who have won the Daytona 500 is a honor many would love to have.

Yesterday the world watched for six hours as the best drivers battled it out.  They watched for six hours because of a pot hole in the track that occurred during the middle of the race.  It took two hours for track crews to repair it, only to once again crumble around 40 laps later.  It left many fans wondering whether or not the race would be completed on Sunday.

Indeed the race was completed and Jamie McMurray came home with the win.

But, it left many fans wondering whether or not NASCAR could have prevented this from happening and what steps they would take to make sure it didn't happen again.

The Daytona International Speedway has not been repaved since the late 1970's and plans are slated to have it repaved in 2012.  However, because of yesterdays incident many want it to be done before next years 500. 

For thirty years the track has been a victim of races, hurricanes, and the ever-so-common South Florida rainfall.  And with rain this past week leading up to the Daytona 500, it left the track in poor condition for the races that were held this past weekend.

While some people want the track to be repaved, the drivers on the other hand aren't so thrilled about the idea.

All the ware the track has had in the past three decades has worn it down quite a bit.  There are bumps all over it and the track is slick as ever.  The bottom line is that it makes for good racing.  The drivers can move all over the track going at top speeds which makes all the races there fantastic to watch.

Repaving the track would limit a drivers movement on it until it was worn down again in several years.

However, whether or not the track will be repaved by next years Daytona 500 has yet to be decided.  But, I can assure you that it will be one heck of a race either way.  The best drivers in NASCAR will race their best whether or not there's a fresh coat of asphalt on the track or not.