Florida's famous Daytona International Speedway will have a slick new look for this weekend's Daytona 500 after undergoing a long and costly face-lift since last year's race.
The 2010 event was reduced to a fiasco after parts of the track starting breaking up, leaving a dangerous pothole on one of the high-speed bends.
NASCAR's most famous race was halted for almost two and a half hours as workmen frantically tried in vain to repair the damage, turning the event into a laughing stock.
The last time the track, which was built in the late 1950s, had been completely repaved was in 1978.
The lastest work cost over $30 million with the new track surface not only safer but also faster after drivers reached speeds of over 330 kph in qualifying.
