Stewart Takes Back Seat in Twin 125 Qualifying

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeff Green and Dale Earnhardt Jr. don’t have to worry about how they finish in today’s Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying heats, but for the other 49 drivers how they finish means where they will start in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Green will be on the pole and Earnhardt alongside him Sunday -- no matter where they finish today -- having earned their positions with the fastest laps in Monday’s time trials.

For Tony Stewart, defending Winston Cup champion and one of the pre-race favorites, it will be a crapshoot as he attempts to bring his No. 20 Chevrolet from the back row in the second heat. Stewart suffered a blown engine in his warmup lap Monday and does not have a qualifying speed.

Daytona has never been Stewart’s favorite track. In four previous 500s, his best finish was 17th. Last year he was 43rd and last after losing an engine on the third lap.

“As a driver, Daytona is a boring track,” he said. “Sure, I want to win the Daytona 500 because of what it is, our biggest race, but if we don’t win it, we’ll head to Rockingham [N.C.], Vegas and Atlanta and just do the best we can.

“We’ve proven to everybody that you can leave Daytona 43rd in points and still come back and win the championship. Our main goal, though, is to win the Winston Cup championship two years in a row. Thursday will be interesting.

“I’m looking forward to it because I like coming from behind. If we don’t make it to the front, there’s always Sunday.”

As the series champion, he is assured a starting position for the 500.

The Twin 125s are unique because, unlike most races where the biggest concern is winning, the biggest concern in the 125s is finishing 14th or better. The first 14 drivers in each of the 50-lap races earn positions 3-30 for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

“Those cats back around 14th are usually in the middle of a pack and you never know what’s going to happen in the last couple of laps,” said seven-time 500 winner Richard Petty, the patriarch of Petty Enterprises.

Petty’s two drivers, son Kyle and former CART driver Christian Fittipaldi, are both safely in the 500 off their speeds, but both must race today to find out where they will start.

They will both be in the second heat, possibly the stronger of the two, anchored by Earnhardt, who was very impressive in winning the Budweiser Shootout last Saturday night.

Last year’s two hottest youngsters, rookie of the year Ryan Newman and second-year driver Kurt Busch, will be starting from the eighth row, while Stewart and Elliott Sadler will be coming from the rear.

Sadler had a solid qualifying spot before being caught in a five-car accident Tuesday. His M&M;’s Ford sustained enough damage that he must start in a backup car and go to the rear of the field.

The first heat, along with Green, will have defending champion Ward Burton, two-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon, and four promising rookies -- Jamie McMurray, who already has won a Winston Cup race while filling in for the injured Sterling Marlin last year; Greg Biffle, last year’s Busch Grand National champion; Casey Mears and Larry Foyt, two second-generation drivers who will benefit from their kinfolk’s background.

What everyone will be watching closely is the effect the common -- or similar -- body styles among Chevrolet, Pontiac, Dodge and Ford will have on competition, and also on how the cars will respond in traffic.

During the Shootout, with 19 starters, there was not a single yellow caution flag during 70 laps even though cars were at times three abreast through the high-banked corners, something rarely seen at Daytona.

Chevrolets have been the dominant make all week, winning the Shootout with Earnhardt, the pole with Green and the first four positions in qualifying.

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Daytona 500

*--* SCHEDULE The schedule leading to the 45th Daytona 500 at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway: * Today -- Twin 125s qualifying (50 laps, 125 miles), 10 a.m., FX * Friday -- IROC race (40 laps, 100 miles), 8 a.m.; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Florida Dodge Dealers 250 (100 laps, 250 miles), 10 a.m., Speed Channel * Saturday -- Busch Grand National Koolerz 300 (120 laps, 300 miles), 10 a.m., Ch. 11 * Sunday -- Daytona 500 (200 laps, 500 miles), 10 a.m., Ch. 11

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*--* FACTS LINING UP: Spots 3-30 will be decided by today’s top 14 finishers in each race; six spots will be filled using qualifying times; Six spots will be filled using 2002 owner points. TOP TWO: Jeff Green (Chevrolet, 186.606 mph) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Chevrolet, 186.382 mph) secured the top two positions on Monday

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*--* Today’s lineup...D12

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