After numerous delays and cautions, NASCAR veteran Jamie McMurray finally took home the checkered flag at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, more than six hours after the season-opening race began.

NASCAR officials were left blushing after their hallmark race due to their failure to properly fix a pothole that developed during the competition. Attempts to mend the break in the concrete took a total of 2 hours and 23 minutes – “equivalent to the NFL halting the Super Bowl in the fourth quarter because a goalpost collapsed and taking two hours to right it,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

“We’re the world center of racing,” said Robin Braig, the Daytona track president. “This is the Daytona 500. This is not supposed to happen, and I take full responsibility.”

The unfortunate racetrack conditions overshadowed a thrilling 45-lap finish that featured five drivers swapping the lead nine different times. Race champion McMurray only led the final two laps, a record low for a Daytona 500 winner, according to Auto Week. A total of 21 competitors led the race at some point, also a record.

NASCAR’s slumping superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr finished second to McMurray after successfully passing several cars down the stretch.