The race was red-flagged after John Andretti and reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson both suffered punctures. The former crashed into the wall, prompting a yellow, which aided Johnson, who luckily didn't lose a lap as he trundled back to the pits. It remains unclear whether the incidents were related to the circuit breaking up.
The damaged piece of track appeared to be approximately two foot long and occurred 15 feet above the yellow line. NASCAR officials expected to get the race back under way within the hour, once the hole was patched up.
Richard Childress Racing's Clint Bowyer was in the lead when the race was stopped, ahead of Roush Racing's David Ragan followed by Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Elliott Sadler and Greg Biffle.
The race has already featured a record 19 different leaders and has had four cautions, including an early six-car wreck when Penske Racing's Brad Keslowski cut a right rear tyre and took out team-mate Sam Hornish as well as Regan Smith.
The 2.5-mile tri-oval was last resurfaced in 1978, and is scheduled to receive a new layer of asphalt next year.
Duno enters Daytona ARCA raceReal win Canales race
