Daytona 500... closed for repairs

With 78 laps to go in the Daytona 500, the race has been red flagged so that a hole in the asphalt (near the bottom of turn 2) can be repaired.

With the cars parked on pit road, Clint Bowyer leads David Ragan, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards and Elliott Sadler.

So far in the race, Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, AJ Allmendinger and Kurt Busch have all led a significant number of laps.

UPDATE: Engines re-fired at 5:01 p.m. after a 1 hour and 40 minute delay to repair holes in the track surface. The party line is that heavy rain and cold temps are to blame. That or a track that hasn't been re-paved since 1978. Dale Jr. had some timely comments on the issue two days before this race.

UPDATE 2: Another red flag, at lap 161. Report from Kevin Harvick (leader) that the original patch is now totally gone. Does anyone have a big wad of gum?