For Earnhardt, There Is No Time Like the Present

Academics has never been one of Dale Earnhardt’s strong suits, but even he appreciates the historical significance of today’s $7-million Daytona 500.

It is NASCAR’S 50th anniversary, the 40th running of the most important race on the Winston Cup schedule, and it will be Earnhardt’s 20th attempt to win the Great American Race.

“We’d make a little history there with it,” the 46-year-old, seven-time Winston Cup champion said of his winning. “You couldn’t write it no better than that, being it’s their anniversary, to go on and win the Daytona 500 in our 20th year, would be a heck of an honor and accomplishment.”

A sellout crowd of more than 190,000 is expected to pack Daytona International Speedway’s recently enlarged grandstands and camper-jammed infield to see if the black No. 3 can do it.

Earnhardt, after winning his ninth consecutive Twin 125-mile qualifying race Thursday in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, is full of confidence despite a 59-race losing streak. He has taken to equating himself with John Elway, the longtime Super Bowl loser who turned things around by beating the Green Bay Packers last month.

“Everybody saw that look in Elway’s eyes,” Earnhardt said. “Look in my eyes. We’re going to be after it. It’s about time we got back in the winner’s circle again. We’re going to start our winning streak here at Daytona and go from there.”

One of the remarkable things about Earnhardt’s failure to win the Daytona 500--which has been likened to Sam Snead never winning a U. S. Open, or Ernie Banks never getting in a World Series--is that he has won 30 other races in his 19 years on Daytona’s 2.5-mile tri-oval.

That’s 11 Twin 125s, two Pepsi 400s, seven Busch Grand Nationals, six Busch Clashes and four IROC.

“You could write a big book on everything that has happened to me on the last 19 years in Daytona,” Earnhardt said. “Our 20th year here, I’m sure we’re going to write another chapter into it and hopefully it’ll be a great chapter. We’ll write a nice ending to it when I slow down in four or five years.”

Earnhardt, who has finished second four times in the 500, will start from the second row today, behind the Labonte brothers, pole-sitter Bobby in a Pontiac Firebird, and two-time Winston Cup champion Terry in a Chevrolet.

Alongside Earnhardt will be two-time Daytona winner Sterling Marlin, who won the other qualifying race Thursday. Like Earnhardt, he will be in a Monte Carlo.

The highest starting Ford Taurus--the four-door model making its NASCAR debut this year--will be in the hands of former winner Dale Jarrett and the surprising Mike Waltrip. They share the third row.

Jarrett, who won the 500 two years ago in a Ford Thunderbird, is still looking for the right combination with the Taurus.

“We’ve got a whole list of things that didn’t work on this Taurus and a short list of things that have worked, but at least those few things have helped us a little bit,” Jarrett said. “That’s what we’ve got to continue to do, find the things that do work because it’s so different from the T-Bird.”

Far back in the 43-car field will be defending champion Jeff Gordon, whose poor finish in a qualifying race relegated him to the 29th starting position. Despite the situation, Gordon feels confident that he has a car that can win, that his problem in the Twin 125 was of his own making.

Gordon, while leading, pitted for tires during a yellow caution flag and when he returned to the track he was 15th and unable to move up in the remaining laps.

“We’ve got a great race car, but I’ve got to be patient,” said Gordon, the Winston Cup champion. “I’m not going to get a lot of help out there. I’ve got to do it on my own. The qualifiers showed that if you get out of line, you can end up going backward a long way.

“I feel we’ve had a lot of success this week and we don’t have a lot to show for it. I think we’ve made all the mistakes we can make and hopefully we’ve gotten them out of the way. We know what we’ve got to do and we know how to do it. Now, it’s just getting it done.”

Although today’s winner is guaranteed more than $1 million, one of five drivers in the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.’s No Bull 5 program could collect another million if they win.

Bobby and Terry Labonte, John Andretti, Ken Schrader and Ernie Irvan are eligible for having finished in the first five in last year’s Winston 500 at Talladega. The No Bull 5 has replaced the Winston Million as a promotional tool, giving five drivers a chance to win the bonus instead of one.

The first five today will be eligible for $1 million at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May.

“Any time you race, you actually don’t think about the money,” said Terry Labonte who, like Earnhardt, has been in 19 500s without a win. “Everybody here wants to win the Daytona 500. It’s like our Super Bowl and it pays a million-dollar purse, plus five of us get the chance to win another million. I think it’s going to add a lot of excitement to our series.”

Schrader, who suffered a bruised chest in a last-lap accident during one of the Twin 125s, skipped Saturday’s Busch race but said he plans to start today. Morgan Shepherd, who drove the car in Friday’s practice session, will be on standby in case Schrader needs a relief driver.

“I hope Ken won’t need me Sunday, but if he does, I’ll be ready,” Shepherd said. “I know he’s got a chance to win that million dollar bonus, and I’m not sure how that’ll work if I’m in the car. I’d drive it for nothing right now.”

In another historical footnote, Dave Marcis, 56, will start in his 31st consecutive Daytona 500. Richard Petty drove in 32 races, but not consecutively.