Another pothole? Daytona crews move in quickly for repairs

  Daytona crews repairing February's pothole. A new problem was discovered nearby Thursday evening, and fixed. (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
  

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

   DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
   Déjà vu?
   Uh-oh.
   Another suspicious area of Daytona International Speedway asphalt, near the concrete repairs of the infamous Daytona 500 pothole, was repaired, with a "strengthened epoxy" after Thursday's second round of practice for this weekend's three events here.
   Grand-Am practice Friday morning, after those repairs, appeared to show the new patch holding.
   Robin Bragg, track president, spoke briefly about the issue: "It has our full attention. We've got everything, from cameras focused on it, to our safety crews looking at it. We'll be out there checking and double-checking.''
After the February incident, which caused a two-hour red flag delay and hurt TV ratings for the sport's biggest event, Bragg decided to completely repave this 2-1/2-mile track, which was last repaved in 1978. The repave will cost some $20 million and begin immediately after Saturday night's Coke 400.
   The base of the track will be repaired too, and NASCAR officials say they'll take the opportunity to make some minor tweaks in the track, probably changing the abrupt transition off turn two to the backstretch into some more gradual for corner exit.
   Grand-Am racer Jon Fogarty: "You could see the patch, and I was worried about running over it in the rain, but it was no problem."
   Bragg: "During an inspection by our team of engineers following yesterday’s track activity, an area of approximately one-foot tall by 4 ½-feet long in Turn 2 was repaired as a precautionary measure. Our track inspections will continue throughout the weekend and we will make any other repairs deemed necessary.
    "The event schedule was not impacted, and the Grand-Am cars were on track this morning at 8 a.m. as scheduled."

   
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