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EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
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Sitting pretty Nemechek looking good on Busch pole
Updated: Friday February 16, 2001 1:05 PM
By John Donovan, CNNSI.com DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- If the Fords think they have something to complain about in the Winston Cup Series, they ought to be steaming about Busch Series racing. Nine of the 10 top qualifiers for Daytona's Busch Series showcase, Saturday's NAPA Auto Parts 300, are in Pontiacs, including pole-sitter Joe Nemechek and the six drivers behind him. For sure, there aren't nearly as many Fords in the Busch Series as there are in Winston Cup. Still, the highest Ford in qualifying Wednesday was Jeff Green, at No. 14. The only car to keep the Pontiacs out of a clean sweep in the Top 10 was a Chevrolet driven by Mike Dillon, which finished eighth. Nemechek, who also runs Winston Cup races, ran a lap of 48.137 seconds (186.966 mph) in Wednesday's qualifying, the fastest lap in qualifying this week in any series. It is a clear three seconds faster than Bill Elliott ran in his Dodge last Saturday to win the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500. "I've heard [NASCAR founder] Bill France say it many times -- if the Busch cars run faster than the Winston Cup cars, so be it," Nemechek said. "The bottom line is you have to put a good show on out there on the race track." The Busch cars have a definite advantage in that they are not required to use the aerodynamic package that the Winston Cup cars must have. Still, these cars could run even faster in race conditions, when they will use the drafting and pushing of close racing conditions to speed them along. Randy LaJoie ran second to Nemechek in qualifying, running a 48.403 lap (185.939 mph). LaJoie is a two-time winner of the NAPA race. Nemechek won in 1998, one of nine Busch Series wins to his credit. "I have fun coming out here running the Busch cars," said Nemechek, who has one career win in Winston Cup racing. "Right now, my plans are to keep running these races as long as they don't interfere with my Cup racing. "I think it's going to be a heck of a race."
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