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Saturday Roundup Dodge's time for predictions ends Sunday
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Ray Evernham won't have to watch the clock anymore. He used a sledgehammer Saturday to smash a 500-day timepiece that counted down Dodge's return to NASCAR Winston Cup racing after a 16-year absence. "We made it," Evernham said. "Everyone has done a good job. The ceremonial breaking of the clock was just for fun. We've got to get serious for tomorrow." Evernham Motorsports will make its debut from the pole Sunday. Bill Elliott was the fastest qualifier for the Daytona 500, while his teammate, Casey Atwood, starts in the 21st position. "We're still stitching that parachute," said Evernham, the former crew chief for three-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon. "But we're about to let the rip cord out." After destroying the clock, Evernham was desperate for some time away from the track. He wanted to put together a strategy for the biggest race of the year. "I feel like I'm pretty good at reading weather and track conditions and the adjustments we have to make," he said. "I've got to put a little playbook together for the guys to use. I'm going to have to find some time to do that. Hopefully, I can find some quiet time ... maybe barbecue with the family and make some notes." Evernham will start the race in Elliott's pits, but he'll be monitoring both drivers on his headset. "If I do a good job giving them the playbook and if everything goes right, they should be OK," the owner said. "If not, I'll be with whoever needs me most."
No worries for defending champBobby Labonte's qualifying laps were mediocre, and his performance in the qualifying race was downright bad. Still, the defending Winston Cup champion isn't worried. "You don't have to have the fastest cars in qualifying," said Labonte, who will start 37th in the Daytona 500. "The fastest cars in qualifying aren't going to be the ones that just sit out front and ride around all day. You could see that happen if everybody just stayed single file." Naturally, that won't happen when the 2001 season kicks off. Labonte, who has never won at Daytona, said he's seen too many quick changes on NASCAR's fastest tracks to be concerned about starting in the rear. Nor is he concerned with his qualifying lap of 180.923 last weekend, which was nearly 3 mph slower than pole-sitter Bill Elliott. In the second qualifying race Thursday, his brother Terry Labonte "was going for the lead and was 21st when he came back by." "That happens a lot," Bobby Labonte said. "Jeff Gordon was dead last at Talladega and was first in 12 laps. So that's going to happen. It's kind of like, 'Who knows where you're going to be?'" --- Change of attitude for GordonJeff Gordon was born to race. His people skills have been a work in progress. Gordon admits he began to take his Rainbow Warrior team for granted while winning three Winston Cup titles in four years. "This is more than just a paycheck," he said. "You have to treat them like people, and make them feel like they're something special." Gordon's team began to unravel in October 1999 when crew chief Ray Evernham left to head Dodge's return to Winston Cup racing. At the end of the season, five of Gordon's top crew members switched to Dale Jarrett's team. Working with a new team, Gordon finished ninth in the Winston Cup standings last year, his worst finish since his rookie season in 1993. "You definitely can't take your guys for granted," Gordon said. "Just because you're winning championships, things are not going to stay the same forever. But the guys who stayed were loyal, and I respect them more for that." He has taken a more active role since Evernham left and has spent more time with the crew. "We're on the same page, we're in sync, we're working together," said Gordon, who will start 13th in the Daytona 500. "Last year, there were so many unknowns, so many questions that had not been answered."
Good luck, sort ofJohn Middlebrook, a General Motors vice president who oversees the automaker's racing budget, wished returning rival Dodge something just short of good luck. Coming back to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series for the first time since 1985, Dodge landed 10 cars in the 43-car field for the Daytona 500. They will be racing against a phalanx of GM Chevrolets and Pontiacs, as well as a strong contingent of Fords. Middlebrook said he hopes Dodge has "limited success, because it's good for the sport." DaimlerChrysler has spent millions touting its re-entry at the top level of stock-car racing, with a blitz of TV and print ads and dealer-associated promotions. "If I was coming in for the first time, I'd do the same thing, make a big splash," Middlebrook said. "But we're not pulling back because Dodge is blowing in here." He said GM will have six commercials -- only two fewer than Dodge -- on Sunday's inaugural Winston Cup broadcast by FOX Sports, part of the new six-year, $2.8 billion NASCAR TV package. "We'll keep our NASCAR dollars unless the sport really changes, and we don't expect that to happen," Middlebrook said.
Lug nutsRepairs on Dale Jarrett's wrecked car were completed in time for Saturday's final practice. He crashed near the end of a Thursday qualifying race, damaging the left side of his Ford. ... FOX, criticized for selective use of sponsor logos last weekend, didn't use graphics of any cars during pre-race introductions for Saturday's Busch race. ... Bobby Hamilton, slowed this week by the flu, still managed to race in the Busch event. He'll also take part in the Daytona 500. ... Busch rookie Scott Wimmer landed a sponsor for the first seven races of the year, cleaning franchise operator Jani-King. The team is still looking for long-term primary sponsorship.
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