Pressure Is on 62 in Daytona Heats

For Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jarrett, today’s Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying heats for Sunday’s Daytona 500 stock car race are more like practice sessions.

But for most of the 62 other entries in the two 125-mile sprint races, today could be more important to them than Sunday’s main event. Only 40 will make the big show--the first 14 in each of today’s races and the rest from their qualifying speeds.

Only pole-sitter Jarrett, who qualified at 193.494 m.p.h., and Earnhardt, a tick slower at 193.449, are guaranteed spots in the 37th annual Daytona 500, opening event of the 1995 Winston Cup schedule.

Jarrett, who won in 1993 with a daring last lap pass of Earnhardt, will be in the first race, pitting his Ford against the Chevrolets of Sterling Marlin, Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip and Ken Schrader. Michael Waltrip and Kyle Petty will be in Pontiacs.

Earnhardt, who has won seven 125-mile races, including his last five, will face a serious Ford threat from Mark Martin, Bill Elliott and Morgan Shepherd but will probably get drafting help from fellow Chevy driver Jeff Gordon.

Sprint car champion Steve Kinser did a slow spin into the second turn wall during practice Wednesday. He was not injured but will have to start at the back of the field in a backup car in today’s first heat.