Leffler Gets to the Head of the Pack

Jason Leffler, who left Long Beach a few years ago to pursue a career in NASCAR, won the pole position Tuesday for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250, a Craftsman Truck race scheduled for Friday.

Driving a Team ASE/Carquest Racing Dodge for Jim Smith of Buena Park, Leffler lapped Daytona International Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval at 182.994 mph.

Second was Robert Pressley, last year’s winner, with 181.973, also in a Dodge.

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Jeff Burton and Elliott Sadler, each of whom drives a Ford Taurus, collided in a multi-car accident during Tuesday’s practice for the Daytona 500 and will have to go to back-up cars for Thursday’s Gatorade 125 qualifying races.

Because they will be unable to drive the cars they qualified Monday, each will have to start at the rear of the field in his race.

The move won’t mean much to Burton, who was to start in front of only one driver in his heat anyway. Sadler, however, had a 10th-place starting position in the other heat and now will start 25th.

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The purse for Sunday’s Daytona 500 will be a record $13,816,240, an increase of $1.5 million from last year. The winner will receive a minimum of $1,352,080.

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Four-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon was an overwhelming choice as the preseason No. 1 in a NASCAR top-10 poll of national media. He collected 17 first-place votes and 440 points to outdistance 2002 champion Tony Stewart by 65 points.

They were followed by Ryan Newman, 325; Kurt Busch, 318; Mark Martin, 217; Sterling Marlin, 200; Matt Kenseth, 195; Jimmie Johnson, 159; Dale Earnhardt Jr., 144; and Rusty Wallace, 133.

Busch had nine first-place votes, Stewart and Newman seven each.

The poll will be updated after each week’s racing.

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In a companion all-time top 10, based on finishes among the top 10 in Winston Cup, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, both seven-time Cup champions, finished one-two. Petty had 25 and Earnhardt 20.

Ricky Rudd, without a championship in 26 years but with 19 top-10 finishes, was a surprise third. Rounding out the leaders were Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison, 18 each; Terry Labonte and Wallace, 16 each; Bill Elliott and Martin, 13 each, and Lee Petty, Richard’s father, 12.

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Michael Waltrip had the fastest practice speed for Busch Grand National cars of 183.775 mph but close behind were the Earnhardt brothers, Dale Jr., 183.572, and Kerry, 183.550. All were in Chevrolets. The Koolerz 300 Busch race will be run Saturday.