Big Names Fill Back of the Pack

A number of NASCAR’s most successful Nextel Cup stock car drivers can be glad that their starting berths in Sunday’s 46th Daytona 500 will be determined not by their qualifying times, but by their finishing position in today’s Gatorade twin 125 qualifying races.

Down near the bottom of the 45-car entry are such big names as Ryan Newman, American driver of the year, 42nd, and four champions from the Winston Cup era, including defending champion Matt Kenseth, 28th. Others are Bobby Labonte, 2001 champion, 35th; Tony Stewart, 2002 winner, 37th; and Jeff Gordon, four-time champion, 39th.

Greg Biffle, who will start on the pole in the first heat, and Elliott Sadler, second heat pole-sitter, are the only drivers whose places Sunday are guaranteed. Theirs were the two fastest cars in qualifying.

“Once the racing starts, it’s no longer just a speed thing like qualifying was,” Gordon said. “You begin to feel the effects of the draft, the new tires, the handling of the car and how it runs in traffic. It’s a whole new ball game.”

Teammate drafting could become more important than usual because several teams have two or three cars in the same heat.

“You can’t count on your teammate being in the right place when you need him, but it’s a good feeling to know that he might be around,” said defending champion Michael Waltrip, who will be in the first heat with DEI teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and John Andretti. Earnhardt finished second to Waltrip in 2001 and also second to Dale Jarrett in last week’s Budweiser Shootout.

As for drafting with Waltrip or Andretti, Earnhardt said, “you don’t know until the last lap. You just try not to crash and try to be toward the front. There are a hundred different ways. You don’t know the plan until it’s all laid out in front of you. If the cautions come out, you’re going to come down and get tires more often.

“I haven’t worked with Waltrip in the draft since we’ve been down here. If we end up toward the front, we’ll definitely be helping each other. You’ve got to help your teammate before you help anyone else.”

Jarrett, in a Ford, credited Earnhardt, in a Chevrolet, for helping push him to victory in the Shootout.

“Some guys aren’t your teammates but you like racing with them because it’s a comfortable feeling,” Earnhardt said. “That’s how I feel about Jarrett and Bobby Labonte. So when you end around them late in the day, you work with them the same as if they were teammates.”

The heats also will go a long way toward determining whether the Robert Yates-Jack Roush engine combine can maintain the edge Ford has shown during Speedweeks. Fords took four of the first five qualifying spots last Sunday, a day after Jarrett’s Ford won the Shootout.

The new Goodyear tire apparently gives the drivers a better feel for the surface on Daytona’s high banking, but they also wear out much faster than last year’s rubber. Fuel mileage has been the determining factor in planning pit stops for some time, but this year it appears that tire wear will determine when crew chiefs bring in their cars.

Today’s races will determine starting positions three through 30 for Sunday’s race. Starting positions 31 through 38 will be determined by speeds from last Saturday’s time trials. Starting positions 39 through 43 are provisional positions assigned from car owners’ 2003 points. If necessary, position 43 is reserved for a former Winston (now Nextel) champion.

Biffle and Sadler, secure in their positions, indicated that their main goal today would be to stay out of trouble, out of the three-abreast racing that often triggers multi-car pileups.

“There are some fast cars in my heat, so I’d like to keep the car out front and keep it out of harm’s way,” said Biffle, who will be in the National Guard Taurus. “I’ve got the 8 [Earnhardt] beside me and the 88 [Jarrett] behind me. Everyone’s going to be running fast.”

Sadler’s heat looks a bit easier, although it has Penske Racing teammates Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman and the Childress Racing pair of Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon.

“We’re going to go and try to win the thing,” Sadler said. “But I don’t have to worry about being three-wide and just trying to race my way into the 500. So if it gets too hairy, you might see me just ride the high line and get a good tire check and fuel mileage check. Our goal is the 500. We’ll do everything we can to keep our car safe for that.”