Daytona 500 2000 - Dull qualifying could turn into exciting Daytona 500

Dull qualifying could turn into exciting Daytona 500
Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Forget the new rules. Ignore those snooze-filled qualifying races. The event NASCAR calls its Super Bowl is ready to rumble on the high banks at Daytona International Speedway.

"It's the Daytona 500 and I think you'll see an exciting race," said front-row starter Ricky Rudd, a favorite along with teammate and pole-winner Dale Jarrett.

"I hope so," Rudd said. "I mean, the fans didn't pay a lot of money to come and see us run single-file."


	Bill Elliott dominated the Twin 125, but says staying out from for 500 miles is another matter.

That's what they got on Thursday in the two 50-lap qualifying races -- one pass for the lead and a lot of eyes-in-the-mirror defensive driving that produced more yawns than cheers.

Still, nearly everyone hopes Sunday's 200-lap main event -- with 190,000 at the 2.5-mile oval and millions more watching live on TV -- will revert to the thrilling, fender-rubbing slugfests that characterized the Daytona 500 in the '90's.

Mike Helton, head of NASCAR's competition division, said he isn't worried about a repeat of the sleep-inducing qualifiers.

"I've got a good feeling that running 500 miles for a $9.3 million purse will change that," he said. "The Daytona 500 will be a good race."

Perhaps the biggest problem for drivers trying to make the race exciting is NASCAR's new shock-absorber rule, which requires standard shocks and springs for all cars.

The rule has cut the teams' costs and made the ride more comfortable for the drivers, but it has also limited the creativity of the crew chiefs.

No less an authority than Dale Earnhardt, the 1998 Daytona winner and a perennial contender, was irate about the rule after his string of 10 straight Daytona qualifying wins ended Thursday with a quiet 11th-place finish.

"They just killed the racing at Daytona," the seven-time Winston Cup champion said.

Still, it seems likely the crew chiefs and drivers will find a way to keep the race interesting.

"We're not going to throw in the towel. This is the Daytona 500," said Kevin Hamlin, Earnhardt's crew chief on his No. 3 Chevrolet.

"I don't know if we can make the right changes, or good enough changes to help us speedwise, but you can bet we're going to try."

DAYTONA 500 FACTS

Site: Daytona International Speedway;
Daytona Beach, Fla.
Time: noon ET
TV: CBS
Defending Champ:
Jeff Gordon
Fast facts: There have been 10 different pole winners in the last 10 years. ... Gordon has four victories at the track, the 1997 Daytona 500 and the 1995 and 1998 Pepsi 400s. ... Earnhardt won his only Daytona 500 in the 1998 race. The victory ended a 59-race winless streak. ... Earnhardt has a record 31 victories in all forms of racing at the speedway, including the 1990 and 1993 Pepsi 400s. ... Dave Marcis is tied with Richard Petty with 32 consecutive Daytona 500 starts. ... Kenny Irwin, the 1998 rookie of the year, had a career best finish of third in last year's race. ... Gordon led with seven victories last season. Jeff Burton was second with six.

The General Motors cars -- the redesigned Chevrolet Monte Carlos and virtually unchanged Pontiac Grand Prixs -- appear to have an aerodynamic disadvantage to the partially redesigned Tauruses.

"I'd like to think we can beat it, but that might be too much to ask for even Dale Earnhardt," Hamlin said.

Fords definitely dominated qualifying for the season-opening race, taking four of the top five starting positions and five of the top 10.

Right behind Jarrett and Rudd will be the Taurus of Bill Elliott and the fastest GM entry, Mike Skinner's Monte Carlo.

Rusty Wallace will start fifth in a Ford, followed by the Pontiacs of Ward Burton and Tony Stewart and Chevy of Dale Earnhardt Jr., the most heralded of seven rookies in the race.

Rounding out the top 10 are the Ford of Mark Martin and the Chevy of Michael Waltrip.

Defending Daytona champion Jeff Gordon will start 11th in a Monte Carlo, with Bobby Labonte's Pontiac 13th and Earnhardt 21st.

Despite the star-studded field, which includes six former race winners, Jarrett and Rudd are certainly the drivers to beat in their powerful Robert Yates Racing Fords.

Each started from the front in his qualifying race and Jarrett finished a cautious second to Elliott, while Rudd led wire-to-wire.

Some people were surprised that Jarrett appeared unable to overtake Elliott in the duel of two-time Daytona 500 winners. But Jarrett wasn't about to jeopardize his position for Sunday.

"I wasn't going to take any chances if I didn't need to," said Jarrett, who is starting defense of his first Winston Cup championship. "The reason is the car that I have is a car I've won with, one that I know drives good, drives good on old tries, and that's what I'm going to need on Sunday."

One fear is that Jarrett -- or Jarrett and Rudd working together -- will simply leave the rest of the 43-car field behind and turn the big race into another long snooze.

Rudd insists that isn't going to happen.

"That (qualifying) race was to get you into the 500," he said. "Sure everybody wants to win it, but let's let the racing get settled down before we go crazy out there and try to make it three-wide.

Rudd saw enough competitors close to his rear bumper during the qualifier that he's expecting a great race on Sunday.

"I think you need to see 500 miles before you jump to any conclusions," he said.

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