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Day at a Glance
No-names can make name for themselves
Posted: Wednesday February 16, 2000 12:22 AM
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Rusty Wallace (right) talks with teammate Jeremy Mayfield during a break in qualifying practice. AP |
By Ryan Smithson, CNNSI.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It is often said that the best racing at Daytona comes in the Twin 125s. This year's version of the race-to-qualify event promises to be one of the most interesting in a long time.
NASCAR has a pretty simple way of distributing information. If a driver misses the race, they call out the car number over the loudspeaker. When they distributed the grid for the Twin 125s, it was simply a standard starting grid. But they didn't use names -- only car numbers.
Most of the numbers for the first race were easy to figure out. Dale Earnhardt's famous No. 3 will start ninth; Jeff Gordon's No. 24 will roll off 12th; Mark Martin's No. 6 will start third.
The second sheet was littered with strange names and numbers. Carl Long in the No. 85; Bobby Gerhart in the No. 89; Jim Sauter in the No. 72.
The first race features seven former Winston Cup champions. The second race has none.
What does this mean?
For the cars struggling to make it into the Daytona 500, the second race is the place to be.
Even so, Wednesday's final practice promises to be a hair-pulling event for the crew chiefs, who already have dealt with ever-changing weather and varying speed patterns at the 2.5-mile track.
Adding to the stress is the fact that the Winston Cup cars' final practice will be held in late morning -- giving drivers and teams plenty of time to think (and worry) before Thursday's sessions.
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Rookie jumps out front
The Busch Series will hold first-round qualifying Wednesday for Saturday's season-opening Napa 300.
The Busch boys pretty much had the track to themselves Tuesday; they were on the track for three hours, long enough that every one of the 57 teams made a practice run.
The surprise was that rookie Kevin Harvick was the quickest car. The 24-year-old Californian topped out at 187.165 mph. Veteran Bobby Hillin (187.021 mph) was the only other driver to top the 187-mph mark.
Harvick enjoyed some success in the Truck Series last year, but the Richard Childress driver is relatively inexperienced at Daytona -- a track that caters to veterans.
The remainder of the Napa 300 grid will be set in the second-round qualifying on Thursday.
Dave's dilemma
Dave Marcis, trying to make a record 33rd straight Daytona 500 start, will have to finish 14th or better in the second Twin 125-miler in order to break Richard Petty's mark of 32 straight 500s.
Marcis starts 22nd, but don't count out the 58-year-old independent driver just yet. Marcis is very underratted at restrictor-plate tracks -- he finished 16th here last year -- and usually has a car capable of handling the draft.
Fuller will give it a shot
Jeff Fuller has decided to drive the No. 27 Eel River Racing entry in the Twin 125s. The rookie suffered a neck injury Monday when he and Greg Sacks crashed in Turn 3.
Sacks' team purchased a car from the Morgan-McClure stable and will start 24th in the second Twin 125-miler.
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Jason Jarrett
The son of Winston Cup champ Dale Jarrett had a nightmarish 1999, when injuries limited him to only eight Busch starts.
But Jarrett, driving for the Jarrett and Brett Favre-owned entry, was fifth-fastest in Busch practice Tuesday. Jarrett also had the fastest Pontiac.
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