DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- In the wake of a pothole problem that twice interrupted the Daytona 500 for extended red-flag periods, Daytona International Speedway has begun installing a reinforced concrete patch to repair damage to the pavement in Turn 2, speedway president Robin Braig announced Thursday.

The repair process will take an estimated two days to complete, according to Bill Braniff, senior director of construction for North American Testing Company, the internal engineering arm of International Speedway Corporation, which owns DIS.

The finished product will be a concrete patch measuring approximately six feet wide by 18 feet long. The size of the patch, considerably larger than the original pothole, results from widening and squaring of the compromised asphalt and extending the patch on the 31-degree banking to pavement that is solid.

A hole approximately 18 inches long developed in the lower groove of Turn 2 during the Daytona 500, forcing NASCAR officials to halt the race under a red flag. The stoppage came 122 laps into the race. The race was red-flagged a second time with only 39 laps remaining after the patch crumbled.

After the race, Braig apologized for the hole and the delays that caused many fans to head to the exits long before the finish.

"We're the World Center of Racing. This is the Daytona 500. This is not supposed to happen, and I take full responsibility," Braig said after the race. "We can come back from this. We know how to fix it. This is hallowed ground. We understand that. We accept the responsibility."

After curing for several days, the repaired track will be ready for a full schedule of motorcycle racing during Daytona 200 week, which starts Feb. 26.

NATC is conducting a thorough evaluation of the entire track and upon completion will implement all necessary solutions (including repaving, if necessary) to ensure the long-term integrity of the track.

"This is the correct course of action to repair the track," Braig said in a statement released Thursday. "Our team of engineers and asphalt specialists with North American Testing Corporation has previous experience with concrete being used on an asphalt track and it is a proven solution."

According to Braniff, a combination of weather and the stress to the asphalt during the recent Speedweeks contributed to the problem.

"Recently we've had more than normal rain in the Daytona area and cooler than normal temperatures," Braniff said Thursday. "We could see that vehicles were bottoming out in that area."

Braniff said no recommendation has been made to repave the entire speedway.

"Any pavement has a finite life span," he said. "We evaluate the tracks all over the country and continue to evaluate them, and we're evaluating Daytona International Speedway. Right now, I can't say it's time for repaving."

Sunday's Daytona 500, won by Jamie McMurray in a green-white-checkered-flag finish, was the culmination of extensive activity on the track. Speedweeks featured practice, qualifying and races in Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series, as well as an ARCA race.

In late January, the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, a Grand-Am Series race featuring 45 cars, was run at the track.

Related:
• Daytona 500 halted twice because of pothole in track
• The hole story takes race track itself for granted