Earnhardt, Jarrett Win Qualifying Races

Until Dale Earnhardt either wins the Daytona 500, or retires, stock car racing’s most important race will revolve around the seven-time Winston Cup champion from Kannapolis, N.C.

On a day when there were only two lead changes in each of the Gatorade twin 125-mile qualifying races, on a day when passing on Daytona International Speedway’s high banks was at a premium, it was Earnhardt, in his black No. 3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, who made a race out of a parade.

He didn’t have to come from far back, only fifth place, but when John Andretti bolted from third to first on the opening lap of Thursday’s second race, Earnhardt followed him through the same hole into second place.

Then for lap after lap, he tested Andretti’s No. 98 Ford Thunderbird, probing high and low, until he caught the former Indy car driver drifting a little high through the fourth turn on lap 18. It was all Earnhardt needed. The lead was his and he never let go.

It was the eighth consecutive year that he won one of the 125-mile heats.

“Eight in a row, that’s a good omen for winning our eighth championship,” said a beaming Earnhardt after climbing out of his car.

It also was his 29th victory in a variety of races at Daytona--but in 18 tries he has never won the 500. Three times in the last four years he has finished second.

Dale Jarrett, last year’s Daytona 500 winner, won the first heat in a boring display of nose-to-tail, single-file racing.

Jarrett, in a Thunderbird, broke from the front row, beating surprise pole-sitter Mike Skinner’s Chevy into the first turn, and led 45 of the 50 laps. The only driver who passed him was teammate Ernie Irvan and Jarrett got him back five laps later.

Each of the winning Dales will collect $40,589 for his 45 minutes of racing. Jarrett averaged 166.112 mph, Earnhardt 162.749. The difference was in caution laps--one in Jarrett’s race, four in Earnhardt’s.

The only surprise in the first race was the comeback of Skinner--Earnhardt’s teammate--who dropped back as far as 16th before clawing his way back to finish second with a pass of Irvan four laps from the end.

After 15 laps without a change among the leaders, Geoff Bodine was running third when he ran afoul of Delma Cowart, who was being lapped. When the pack of front runners caught Cowart’s slower car, he lost control and spun in front of Bodine.

“I was coming around the corner and I was flat out,” Cowart said. “As I got to the middle of the corner, the train came around me and just kind of sucked the air out from under the car and it just got away from me. I don’t know any other words to say. I just lost it.”

The back of Cowart’s spinning car caught the back of Bodine’s car and sent him sliding down the track.

“I love Delma to death, he’s a great guy and he tries really hard,” said Bodine, who returned to the race and finished 13th. “When Dale and Ernie went by him, he started to wiggling. I just hoped I could get by, but he hooked me. I learned that I can slide down the front straightaway backward and miss the wall and come out of it with a whole car.”

The only incident in the second race occurred when Ricky Craven tried to slip through a hole that wasn’t wide enough for his Chevrolet. When he was tapped by Chad Little’s car, it set off a scramble that ended with Craven, Loy Allen and Lake Speed out of the race.