Notebook

Open-wheel guys at distinct disadvantage in IROC

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Scott Sharp feels a little out of place.

He's taking a break from the Indy Racing League to compete with a bunch of NASCAR guys at Daytona International Speedway.

"It's certainly a big challenge for us open-wheel guys," said Sharp, one of 12 drivers in Friday's International Race of Champions. "There couldn't be much more difference in a race car, and certainly for the stock car drivers, it's old hand.

Make no mistake: The IROC champion is likely to come from one of the Nextel Cup entrants -- Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth or Ryan Newman.

The last non-NASCAR champion in the series was Al Unser Jr. in 1988.

"It's a good challenge for us," Sharp said. "It's more an honor to be a part of it."

The four-race series begins at Daytona, followed by stops in Texas, Richmond and Atlanta. The NASCAR stars will be racing against Sharp, Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon from the IRL, Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski from the World of Outlaws, NASCAR truck champion Travis Kvapil and USAC driver J.J. Yeley.

Even the random draw favored the NASCAR drivers. Newman and Johnson will start on the front row, while Castroneves -- who crashed during practice last weekend -- got the last spot for the 40-lap race.

"I crashed their car, and they make me start last," Castroneves joked. "I guess when you push the limit, that's what happens sometimes."

The series has a new sponsor, Crown Royal, and a $1 million prize for the overall winner.

"I know everyone at IROC worked extremely hard in the offseason to find a sponsor and raise the excitement of the series," Johnson said. "They have done just that."

But the IRL drivers are still learning the ropes in the equally prepared cars.

"They're not a real difficult kind of car to drive," Dixon said. "The thing you need to work on a lot and how they win races is the drafting. It's so different from our kind of drafting."

Wrong-way Kahne

Kasey Kahne has been fast in practice for the Daytona 500, but the rookie still has a lot to learn.

During a qualifying race Thursday, Kahne got in trouble on pit road and wound up pulling into his box from the wrong direction.

"There's a lot going out there," he said. "It was a learning experience."

Especially when Kahne pulled into the pits. Trying to avoid another car, he swerved to the right and missed his stall.

Kahne hit the brakes, only to get bumped from behind by Jeff Gordon. That sent the rookie spinning around, and he pulled into his pit box from the wrong direction.

"It was my fault," he admitted.

Once Kahne got straightened out, NASCAR officials held him in the pits as a penalty. He wound up finishing 13th in the qualifier, giving him the 27th starting position in Sunday's race.

"I think we learned a lot today," Kahne said. "I know I learned a lot as a driver."

Playing it safe

With nothing to gain, Greg Biffle just wanted to keep his car out of the wall in the qualifying race.

Mission accomplished.

Biffle led the first 22 laps in the 50-lap event, but he wound up settling for 14th in a race won by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Not that it mattered. Biffle was assured of starting from the pole in Sunday's race, based on having the fastest speed in qualifying last weekend.

In racing conditions, Biffle's car suffered.

"I just couldn't keep the nose to the ground and it seemed like a lot of guys were like that," he said. "We'll work on it some more. We've got another happy hour [practice] and I didn't want to mix it up with those guys. It looked pretty hectic, so I just took the high road."

By the Skin(ner) of his teeth

NASCAR officials wound up with a rather unusual situation after the qualifying races for the Daytona 500.

Based on the unique system used for this race, 42 drivers had qualified when the two 125-mile events were done. The 43rd spot was supposed to be based on owner points, but none of the other three drivers had any from the 2003 season.

So, NASCAR picked Mike Skinner for the race. Andy Hillenburg and Kirk Shelmerdine were sent packing.

Skinner had the best credentials of the group, joining the Nextel Cup circuit full-time in 1997. He's never won a race, but has more than $13 million in career earnings.

Old-timer series

Ol' D.W. wouldn't mind getting behind the wheel again.

But only if he's racing against guys his own age.

Darrell Waltrip, who retired after the 2000 season and became a television analyst, suggested Thursday that an old-timers racing series might be a success.

"I'd love it," Waltrip said. "Make it a million dollars to win. That would be great. There's a lot of great older drivers who could do the job."

He said an old-timers series -- akin to the Champions Tour in golf -- could be run in conjunction with the four-event International Race of Champions.

"IROC could have one race with the current drivers" at each track, Waltrip said. "Then they could have another with the older drivers."