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DAYTONA 500 - Same Day Coverage
SUNDAY - Johnson wins drama-filled Daytona 500 for Rick Hendrick
Minus his crew chief, his qualifying speed disallowed, Jimmie Johnson was still able to drive his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to victory in a green/white/checkered finish to the 48th running of the Daytona 500, which ended under caution. Casey Mears, in his third start, finished second and Ryan Newman was third. Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart finished fourth and fifth respectively. Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ken Schrader and Dale Jarrett rounded out the top ten. “Say that a few more times,” Johnson said from victory lane when asked how it felt to be the winner of the Daytona 500. “Obviously it’s been a tough week for us.” Johnson started the week with the news his crew chief, Chad Knaus had been ejected from the remainder of the events at Daytona and his fifth fastest qualifying run had been disallowed. Johnson then had to run hard in the Gatorade Duels on Thursday to claim a ninth place starting spot in the Daytona 500. Along the way, Johnson had to field an onslaught of questions concerning the credibility of the his team.
“(This victory) going to take a little while to sink in. I think as tomorrow unfolds, putting the car in the museum, on the way to New York, I just found out I guess I get to go to New York, be on some great shows, be a part of everything up there. That's when it will start to sink in.” For 42 other drivers the fact they hadn’t won was already sinking in, however, finishing well was a victory in itself. “This is my career best finish,” Mears said, before confirmation he had finished second and not third. “Just couldn't be happier with the way we started this year off.” Newman, in third, was happy with his finish, however with a little encouragement showed his concern with the No. 48 operation. “It's just disappointing,” Newman said. “I mean, I think a lot of Jimmie Johnson and his talent and stuff, but I'm pretty sure at least three out of his last four, if not three out of his last three wins have had conflictions (sic) with the cars being illegal. “It's not necessarily good for the sport.”
Kenseth then took out his frustrations on Stewart several laps later. When he refused to come to pit road as a penalty for his own rough driving NASCAR pulled Kenseth’s scoring card for one lap. After the race, the two pointed fingers at each other with Stewart tossing out the strongest verbal blow. Clint Bowyer, the highest finishing Raybestos Rookie driver, was also the best finisher for Richard Childress Racing. His teammates, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, finished 14th and 32nd, respectively. “You know, as far as RCR goes, (we) never could really find each other,” he said. “I tried to help Burton for a little bit. They were both running on the bottom. I was just too tight, or for whatever reason, my car wouldn't go down there. I had to keep it up high. “Kevin tried to get up there and go with me, but his car just wasn't working the best up there. I am proud to be the top car at RCR. I think we got some strong runs ahead of us, all of us.” Not Exactly A Drafting Technique
SATURDAY - Stewart wins crash-marred Hershey’s Kissables 300 Busch Grand National event
(2-18-2006) - As the rest of the field crashed, boomed and banged their way to the finish, Tony Stewart drove his #20 Old Spice Chevrolet took the checkered flag winning the Hershey’s Kissables 300 Busch Grand National event at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Jason Leffler, Todd Kluever, J. J. Yeley, Reed Sorenson and Mark Green rounded out a top ten that took NASCAR officials some time to sort out after a huge pack of cars wrecked on the front stretch when Stacy Compton and Elliott Sadler got together while fighting for position. “It was a cool race,” Stewart said. “I think at the beginning a lot of guys got caught off guard and their cars didn't drive very well. Ours was no exception. We had a tight, tight, tight racecar. “I'm really, really proud of Wally Rogers and the guys on this Old Spice team, the adjustments they made to the Monte Carlo SS. Just, you know, to come from where we started the race to where we were at the end, to make the big changes that we made. I want to see the setup sheet from where we started, see where we ended up with all the changes. It's probably going to scare me to death, though, because it was a lot of stuff that I think I know some guys that probably wouldn't even have drove it with some of the changes they did at one time.”
“I didn't get to see much of him today,” Steward said. “The little bit I did get to see was at the right time. He did an awesome job. He had a good shot at winning that race. If a couple of the runs were a little different, he was going to pass us for the lead, or at least make a good bid for it. “Luckily that's the good thing about being a veteran versus a rookie, I pretty much knew where he was going to go before he got there, was able to anticipate it.” The 120-lap race was slowed by caution 10 times for 34 laps. Hey Man, You're Going the wrong way
Hershey’s Kissables 300 Busch Grand National Photo Highlights
Martin wins GM Flex Fuel 200 Truck Race on Friday night(2-17-2006) - Mark Martin held off Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner and Ted Musgrave to win the GM Flex Fuel 200 in Daytona. Complete results courtesy of NASCAR. Going home premature is always tough at Daytona(2-16-2006) - There is always next year. At least that’s what the 15 drivers who failed to make the field for the 2006 running of the Daytona 500 can tell themselves. Scott Riggs was probably the most disappointed of the group and the one with the greatest expectations not only from himself, but also from his team, sponsor and fans. Riggs swapped teams after the 2005 season, leaving MB2 Motorsports to follow Valvoline to Evernham Motorsports. Being a new team, Riggs new he would have to race his way into the show and he almost did. Unfortunately, a miscue on a pit stop erected an insurmountable wall for the junior driver. “There’s nothing negative I can say about anybody on this Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge team,” Riggs said after failing to grab one of only two available transfer spots. “Everybody put in a great effort. I’ve got to thank everybody at the fab shop and the motor shop and chassis shop. Everybody at Evernham Motorsports gave me what I needed. “That’s the kind of risk you take when you come down here with no points. I think without the gear failure in qualifying we wouldn’t be in this situation. I hate it, but that’s racing and we’ll regroup and go on from here.” Paul Menard was another expected to make the race because of his association with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Menard’s chances went out the window in the first of the Gatorade Duels when he blew a right front tire and hit the outside wall. "The car was awesome for a long time, then it started to get tight, really really tight,” Menard said after his release from the infield care center for a mandatory checkup. “Then we just lost the draft. I don't know if we had a slow leak but we ended up blowing the right front tire going through the tri-oval. I guess that is just the way it goes.” Goodyear wasn’t doing any guessing when they looked over the blown tire. Not wishing to point fingers, a Goodyear rep simply said, “There was nothing wrong with the tire because of its construction.” Joining the transporters of Riggs and Menard on the long haul home were the rigs of Kenny Wallace, Scott Wimmer, Mike Skinner, Derrike Cope, Larry Gunselman, Chad Blount, Larry Foyt, Andy Belmont, Randy LaJoie, Morgan Shepherd, Chad Chaffin, Carl Long and Stanton Barrett. On the other end of the scale, the happiest man in the garage was Kirk Shelmerdine. The former crew chief for Dale Earnhardt clocked just enough speed on Sunday during qualifying to claim the 42nd starting spot, just ahead of Terry Labonte, who claimed the champion’s provisional for Hall of Fame Racing. Sadler saddles field in first Gatorade Duel 150
“This is a great feeling,” Sadler said from victory lane. “Tommy (Baldwin) has come in and changed the whole attitude of this race team. We got a lot of enthusiasm with our team right now. We got a great leader who's got everybody fired up. To come down here and to win Ford Fusions' first race in NASCAR, that's something that will be in the record book a long time.
Sadler took the lead from Tony Stewart on lap 29 when he beat the defending NEXTEL Cup champion off pit road. Jeff Burton led the first thirteen laps before he relinquish the lead to Stewart. Three cautions and a red flag that lasted for 10:05 minutes because of sprinkling rain slowed the first of two 60-lap qualifying events. Problems with right front tires forced NASCAR to wave the yellow twice. The first as Paul Menard came to a stop in the grass after blowing a right front and hitting the wall. The second when Chad Chaffin also lost a right front tire. Running under the caution for the Chaffin incident, Sterling Marlin slammed into the rear of Dale Jarrett, taking those two cars out of the race. NASCAR officials called Marlin, his crew chief and car owner, to the hauler following the race to discuss the incident. Marlin told reporters he wasn’t sure what happened to cause the incident. Gordon wins the second Gatorade Duel 150
(2-16-2006) - Jeff Gordon rode the rails to victory in the second Gatorade Duels 150. Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin rounded out the top five. Kyle Petty finished sixth, giving Petty Enterprises its best finishes in over a decade.
Scott Riggs, in his first run for Evernham Motorsports in the No. 10 Valvoline Dodge, missed the field for the Daytona 500 despite a thirteenth place finish. Riggs qualifying time on Sunday was ruined by a gear failure and the new procedures in place to set the field for the 500 left Riggs on the outside looking in.
The Knaus Saga Continues
(2-15-2005) - Chad Knaus has plenty of time to think about what went wrong in his plan to gain an illegal advantage for the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson during qualifying for the Daytona 500. NASCAR officials ejected the veteran crew chief on Monday, the day after discovering the scheme, which they admit could have occurred right under their own noses in the final inspection bay. “Yes,” John Darby, NEXTEL Cup Series Director, responded when asked if it was possible the adjustment to the track bar, which led to the rear windshield being deflected upward, could have occurred in full view of his inspectors without causing any suspicion. The final inspection bay measures roof and quarter panel heights, in addition to checking the car’s weight. If a car has problems in this area of the inspection process, teams are allowed to make a single turn on each of the four jacking bolts and can request to raise or lower the track bar. At most tracks, the amount of adjustment to the track bar is not limited. “At Daytona and Talladega there is a maximum that it can’t exceed,” Darby explained. “If, for example, the team asked to adjust the bar inspectors would have gone underneath the car to confirm the measurement. So at that point, they would have been under the car and the back window would have been doing its thing with our guys under the car.”
Darby see’s no reason to change the system just because one crew chief figured out a way to pull off a change to the car under their own noses. “They didn’t get away with it. It passed pre-qualifying and failed post,” Darby said, explaining why this infraction would not lead to changes in the inspection procedure. “Now, had we not found or not been dedicated or the process of inspection not been thorough enough to detect it then I would say we need to better. But, those aren’t the facts. The facts are they made the alteration, it was detected.” Knaus might have gotten away with the deception if Johnson hadn’t qualified in the top-five and/or is someone in the Chevrolet camp hadn’t alerted NASCAR to a possible problem. Standard procedure is to run the top five qualifiers back through inspection, along with one, two or even three cars picked at random prior to the start of qualifying. Only Knaus knows if the benefits were with the risk and Darby wasn’t about to speculate on why Knaus might have done what he did, instead saying, “There are people who believe if they can cheat for ten years and get caught for one, that’s not too bad.” (Tom Whitmore/VPSMotorimages)
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series News & Notes – Daytona 500(2-14- 2006) – Richard Childress Racing, the organization that for years dominated competition at Daytona International Speedway, has returned to the head of the pack at NASCAR’s most famous race track. Granted, a Daytona 500 victory requires more than a Bud Pole, but RCR at least has the latter – and an apparently good shot at the former, going into Sunday’s 48th annual “Great American Race”. Jeff Burton, driving the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet, has a Childress car on the 500 pole for the fourth time; Dale Earnhardt (1996), Mike Skinner (1997) and Jeff Green (2003) account for the other three. Overall, Childress cars have won 10 poles at Daytona. Childress-owned cars also have 20 victories at Daytona, all by the late Earnhardt, who during his career somehow found a way to both master the 2.5-mile tri-oval but falter in the Daytona 500. It was a puzzling paradox; for year’s Earnhardt could win every Daytona race except the big one. The long-running frustration ended in 1998, when the seven-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion finally won NASCAR’s biggest event. This past Sunday, Burton claimed the 500 pole with a speed of 189.151 mph, his first pole since September 2000 at Richmond International Raceway. He’ll lead the field Thursday in the first “Gatorade Duel at Daytona” 150-mile qualifying races. Said Burton: "First of all … this is just one qualifying run out of a long year. I think we have things in place to make a lot of noise. I think we have great race teams and drivers and some of the best people in the business. We'll see what we can do with it. “There are a lot of obstacles that stand in the way of success and we've got to make sure we step on top of those and work real hard. But I think we've made huge strides in the right direction." Added Childress: “We had a lot of positive changes at RCR. Every race is important. We want to come here and win the Daytona 500 … winning the pole was a big plus. Everybody has worked so hard at RCR – including the drivers. “It's really great to see RCR back up front. We've won a lot of poles [at Daytona] and been up front a lot. We're just excited to be here." NEWS AND NOTES, PART II The Duel Is On: Qualifiers to Set 500 Field … It’s the tale of two Jeffs: Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) have the respective pole positions for Thursday’s Gatorade Duel at Daytona, the back-to-back 150-mile qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500. • The Duel, which evolved from the former “Twin 125s” qualifiers, is part of the 500’s varied qualification process. Here’s how it works: • The top-two qualifiers from “Pole Day” this past Sunday – Burton and Gordon – are locked in for the front row. • In addition, the top 35 teams from the final 2005 car owner points are also guaranteed spots, a group that in this case includes the front row. • The top two “non-top 35” finishers in each of Thursday’s qualifiers are assured spots. • The final four spots in the 500’s field of 43 are based on original Pole Day qualifying speeds – unless the past series champion’s provisional is used for the 43rd spot, which would leave only positions 40-42 to be filled based on qualifying results. The Gatorade Duel at Daytona begins at 2:10 p.m. (ET). TNT’s broadcast of the races starts at 2 p.m. Quality Qualifier: Bowyer Best in Rookie Class … The optimism this week in the Richard Childress Racing camp isn’t confined to Jeff Burton and the No. 31 team. Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet) qualified sixth-best overall, making him the fastest among the seven-driver Raybestos Rookie of the Year class. Bowyer will start fourth in the first Gatorade Duel event. Gentlemen, Start Your Comebacks … This past weekend’s action at Daytona seemed to show that Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet) – who have won the last two Daytona 500s – appear ready to rebound from disappointing 2005 seasons, with Gordon the No. 2 500 qualifier and Earnhardt finishing second in the Budweiser Shootout. They finished 11th and 19th respectively, in last year’s final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings. For Gordon, that was the first time he finished out of the final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10 since his rookie season in 1993, when he was 14th. For Earnhardt, it was his worst points finish in six full-time seasons and comes on the heels of 2003’s third-place points finish and 2004’s fifth-place result. “Sometimes it takes some beatings before you really get things turned around,” said Gordon, the defending and three-time 500 champion, who also has four series championships to his credit. “It puts you in a position to make changes and be humbled and really want it that much more. I would say right now we're as hungry and fired up as we've ever been. We've got youthfulness and excitement back in the team and it's all about chemistry. We've been talking about chemistry since we missed the Chase last year. And I'm seeing that chemistry back.” Earnhardt, the 500 winner in 2004, also sounded confident, saying, “I feel like we still have one of the top restrictor-plate programs, because even when we’re not at our best, we’re still in the top two or three. Even last year, we had some strong superspeedway cars. I should have won the Daytona 500 last year. “It means everything [to win the 500]. It means you don’t have to go your whole career answering why you haven’t won the biggest race. It was certainly one of my greatest accomplishments, and I’m hungry to do it again.” Gordon, via his second-best qualifying effort, is locked into the outside pole for the 500. He’ll start on the pole in Thursday’s second Gatorade Duel race. Earnhardt, 37th-fastest in qualifying, will start 20th in the first Duel race. Awesome Again: Bill Elliott Part of Impressive Veteran MB2 Lineup … Granted, Bill Elliott (No. 36 Ginn Clubs and Resorts Chevrolet) hasn’t raced in the Daytona 500 since 2003. And granted, his two Daytona 500 victories came in 1985 and ’87 when cars, sans restrictor plates, rocketed around DIS at well over 200 mph. Thing is, while times have changed, here’s something that hasn’t: “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” remains completely comfortable – and highly capable – at Daytona International Speedway. Elliott and Marlin were teammates for legendary car owner Junior Johnson in 1992. Marlin started on the Daytona 500 pole, with Elliott on the outside pole. Elliott was extremely fast during last month’s testing sessions at DIS. In last Sunday’s qualifying, he was eighth-fastest overall out of 58 drivers (187.715 mph) – and the fastest of those drivers not assured 500 berths because of top-35 owner points finishes in 2005. Thus, he assured himself a 500 starting spot, no matter what happens in the qualifying races on Thursday. Shootout Fallout: Remarkable Rookie Looks Like 500 Contender … Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Express Chevrolet) lived a rookie’s dream this past Sunday, winning his first race at Daytona International Speedway. Hamlin won the Budweiser Shootout and immediately established himself as a credible contender to win the Daytona 500. Unreal … surreal ... it was all of that as Hamlin, drafting and darting, outdueled his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and reigning NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, who finished third, and the current king of restrictor-plate racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished second. Hamlin hit the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series late last season, in a big way. He ran seven races with three top-10 finishes – and a pole at Phoenix, which earned him a surprise Shootout berth. Hamlin, from Tampa, Fla., had managed his expectations coming into the Shootout. “All I wanted to do was just gain respect from these guys for the 500,” he said. “Hopefully we did that." Actually, the respect-building started a couple of hours prior to the Shootout, when Hamlin was 11th-fastest in the Daytona 500 qualifying session. He was second-fastest among the Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders, behind Clint Bowyer. Hamlin will start seventh on Thursday in the first Gatorade Duel race. He is assured a spot in the 500, as the No. 11 entry finished 33rd in the 2005 car owner points standings. Three Crew Chiefs Looking For Second 500 Victory … NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers aren’t the only ones who share a special bond once they capture their sport’s marquee event. Crew chiefs who win a Daytona 500 also join an elite NASCAR NEXTEL Cup garage fraternity, and several have an opportunity to win another “Great American Race” this Sunday. Todd Parrott, who oversaw Dale Jarrett’s (No. 88 UPS Ford) victories in 1996 and 2000, is the dean of that group. He’s beginning his first season as crew chief for Bobby Labonte (No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge) at Petty Enterprises. Richard “Slugger” Labbe and Tommy Baldwin Jr., could win their second Daytona 500. Labbe guided Michael Waltrip (No. 55 NAPA Dodge) to the 2003 Daytona 500 win when both were with Dale Earnhardt Inc. Baldwin won the 2002 Daytona 500 with Ward Burton. Both Labbe and Baldwin are in their first season at Robert Yates Racing. Labbe is the crew chief for Jarrett and Baldwin is the crew chief for Elliott Sadler (No. 38 M&M’s Ford). Seven Former Champions in 2006 Field … One Daytona 500 win is monumental enough for a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver. Multiple wins can turn one into Hall of Fame material. This year, seven former 500 champions are entered. Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett each have three Daytona 500 wins. Gordon is the defending champion. His other Daytona 500 triumphs came in 1997 and ‘98. Jarrett won in ‘93, ‘96 and 2000. Two-time winners include Michael Waltrip (2001 and ‘03), Bill Elliott (‘85 and ‘97) and Sterling Marlin (‘94 and ‘95). Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2004) and Derrike Cope (1990) are seeking repeat wins. Richard Petty holds the NASCAR record for most Daytona 500 victories with seven. Cale Yarborough is second with four victories, and Bobby Allison is tied with Gordon and Jarrett with three. Pit Crew Spotlight: Changes Abound in 2006 … Heading into the Daytona 500, numerous crew changes have taken place on NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams. The table below contains a summary. Crew Member Duty New Team Former Team Crew Chief Chad Knaus Ejected from 2006 Daytona 500 Activities(2-13-2006) – NASCAR announced today that NASCAR Nextel Cup Series crew chief Chad Knaus has been ejected from any further participation in 2006 Daytona 500 activities as a result of a rules infraction discovered following pole qualifying runs Sunday. Knaus is the crew chief for the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson. NASCAR said the 48 car failed post-qualifying template inspection in the rear window area. The qualifying time posted by the 48 was disallowed and Johnson will have to start at the rear of the field in the first of two 150-mile qualifying races Thursday. The qualifying time of the No. 96 Chevrolet driven by Terry Labonte was also disallowed. NASCAR officials said an unapproved carburetor was found on the 96 car. Labonte will also have to start from the rear of the field in Thursday’s qualifying races. Additional penalties for both cars will be determined following the Daytona 500. TRUCK SERIES - NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series News and Notes - Daytona* Teammates Ted Musgrave and Todd Bodine all smiles on eve of Daytona International Speedway opener (2-13-2006) – Ted Musgrave (No. 9 ASE/Germain Toyota) has figured out how to top his first NASCAR championship. Win another one. “I don’t know if it would be sweeter to repeat but it would come close,” said Musgrave, who opens his quest for the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship with Friday’s GM FlexFuel 250 at Daytona International Speedway. “The first championship really will always stick in your head like your first win. I think if I could repeat as champion with a whole, new team that would be a big statement on everything.” As unlikely as it might seem, Musgrave has gone from a championship winning team to an even stronger organization. That, after the 50-year-old driver briefly was unemployed following the abrupt closure of Ultra Motorsports. Musgrave now rides with Germain Racing, a five-time winner a year ago with Todd Bodine (No. 30 Germain Motors Toyota). Bodine, last year’s third-place finisher behind Musgrave and Dennis Setzer (No. 85 FlexFuel E85 Silverado Chevrolet), is gunning for an unprecedented fourth consecutive series victory this week. Bodine’s last “loss” was a second-place finish in October in Atlanta. He wrapped up the season with victories at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. It sounds like a “dream team” although not every pairing of personalities has paid the expected dividends. Both Musgrave and Bodine believe the coming season will reach or exceed their expectations. “I have only had four or five teammates and one or two that have been really good,” said Musgrave. “Our (January) test at Daytona showed that Todd and I work well together. Todd is a racer at heart and so am I. Todd and I both have the same mindset.” “Teddy and I respect each other and we get along well,” Bodine said. “He’s not only a good driver, he’s a good guy. Sometimes you can have a teammate who’s fast on the track but not a good person away from the track. That’s not Teddy.” Both drivers claim solid Daytona performances. Bodine was third in 2005 with the now-defunct Fiddle Back Racing team. Musgrave sat on the pole and finished fifth in 2002. “It’s nice to know the competition feels that Ted and I are the guys to beat,” Bodine said. “We know there are a lot of good teams gunning for the championship but we are focused on our job and we are not going to worry about what the competition thinks.” Musgrave, meanwhile, will realize a dream when he competes in Friday’s companion International Race of Champions (IROC) alongside former NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teammate Mark Martin. “To have the opportunity to be running against other series champions is going to be a thrill,” he said. “The great thing about the IROC is that it is something you have to earn to be part of. Mark is a veteran of the series (the 2005 champion) so I am going to be asking him for a few pointers.” Winning an IROC title in addition to a second NASCAR Craftsman Truck crown would only add to Musgrave’s accomplishments. “My goal is to have fun and at least be in contention for the championship,” he said. “It might be far-fetched but I will give it my all.”
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
QUOTEBOOK
FROM THE ARCHIVES Amazingly, the widest finish in six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at Daytona is .318 second. The total margin of victory is .836 second. Winning has required a last-lap pass on three occasions: Wallace over Andy Houston in 2000, Crawford over Travis Kvapil in 2003 and Hamilton over Jimmy Spencer a year ago. Hamilton edged the nose of his Dodge past Spencer’s front bumper a split second before the caution light flashed. That was the only time Hamilton led after starting 36th and last in the field on a past champion’s provisional. Fast Facts What: GM FlexFuel 250 (Race 1 of 25). Where: Daytona International Speedway When: 8:15 p.m. ET, Friday, Feb. 17. Track layout: 2.5-mile high-banked paved. Race length: 250 miles/100 laps. Posted awards: $835,651. TV: SPEED Channel, 8:15 p.m. ET. Radio: MRN, XM Satellite. 2005 winner: Bobby Hamilton. 2005 polesitter: Kerry Earnhardt. Pre-race schedule (all times local): Wednesday – Practice 4:05 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Thursday – Rookie practice 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Final practice 9:30 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.) Qualifying 6:30 p.m. Trucks impounded after qualifying. BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT- Hamlin is off to a good start with win
(2-12-2006) - In a race that means absolutely nothing in November, Denny Hamlin, a rookie driver from Chesterfield (Va.) proved his might against Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Scott Riggs and Jimmy Johnson.
Hamlin was clearly excited at getting his first victory on the Cup level after just two days of practice. “During the second practice yesterday I realized, I knew, our car was good out front,” Hamlin said. “The most important thing is that I tried not to make a mistake on pit road getting in or coming off. The pit stop the crew just beat everyone off pit road, plain and simple. I came in third and they got me out first and that was the winning move.” Hamlin didn’t stop with praise for his crew; without help from his teammate the rookie might have been eating dust, a lot of dust.
Blocking for Hamlin, Stewart lost second to Earnhardt in a photo finish duel to the checkered. Riggs was fourth and Johnson fifth in the 72-lap event which finished under green/white/checkered conditions. (Photos by David Vaughn )
Order of Finish Denny Hamlin
DAYTONA - Burton leads Daytona 500 Qualifying
(2-12-2006) - Timing is everything in a sport built around speed. By all appearances, Mother Nature and the racing surface cooperated best with those who turned their qualifying laps later in the qualifying order. Jeff Burton, winner of the pole with a lap of 189.151 mph (47.581 seconds), stood 34th in the qualifying lineup.
Burton and Gordon are guaranteed to start on the front row in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 19. The remainder of the 43-car field will be set on Thursday with the running of the Gatorade Duel at Daytona, a pair of 125-lap events used to determine the first 36 starting spots. The remainder of the field will be filled based on speed and provisionals. Third fastest, Dale Jarrett, 188.849 mph (47.657 seconds) was the 44th car on the track. It is his best performance in restrictor plate qualifying in several years. “I’m extremely happy,” Jarrett said after making his lap. “That’s actually faster than I thought that we could go with this car, but the guys worked extremely hard with it to be able to make it go fast, but we also think that this car is gonna draft well. “The 500 trophies are a lot bigger and nicer than the pole trophies are, and that’s what we worked hard on. Again, I didn’t really expect this car – from where we tested with it – to be this fast, but they went back and did some things that we can do for qualifying and, obviously, horsepower always helps that too. So hopefully we have a great package for next Sunday.” Elliott Sadler, 188.810 mph (47.667 seconds) was fourth fastest and Jimmie Johnson, 188.762 mph (47.679 seconds) rounded out the top five. Bobby Labonte, in the No. 43 Cheerios Dodge owned by Petty Enterprises, gave the old-time faithful reason to cheer with his sixth place qualifying effort. Labonte held onto the top spot until Johnson knocked him off, however he was the fastest of the Dodges taking times. “We went out fourth and knew we were in store for a long wait,” Labonte said, noting he didn’t expect the lap to hold up to the onslaught of good cars still waiting to qualify. “Obviously we’re not a threat for the pole today, but that was a good pickup from practice. The guys tuned on it well and got good power out of it. I think picking up from yesterday is a big plus and hopefully it’ll get us a good starting position for Thursday. I hope it will hold up, but that time shouldn’t hold up for the pole.” (Photos by Gary Natase (top) and David Vaughn (bottom) Final qualifying order for the Daytona 500 1 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 189.151 47.5812 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 188.877 47.650 3 88 Dale Jarrett Ford 188.850 47.657 4 38 Elliott Sadler Ford 188.810 47.667 5 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 188.762 47.679 6 43 Bobby Labonte Dodge 187.935 47.889 7 07 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 187.786 47.927 8 26 Jamie McMurray Ford 187.742 47.938 9 136 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 187.715 47.945 10 5 Kyle Busch Chevrolet 187.570 47.982 11 12 Kurt Busch Dodge 187.539 47.990 12 11 Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 187.488 48.003 13 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 187.406 48.024 14 01 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 187.402 48.025 15 14 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 187.274 48.058 16 25 Brian Vickers Chevrolet 187.239 48.067 17 18 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 187.208 48.075 18 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 187.196 48.078 19 32 Travis Kvapil Chevrolet 187.106 48.101 20 00 Hermie Sadler Ford 187.025 48.122 21 66 Jeff Green Chevrolet 186.990 48.131 22 19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge 186.908 48.152 23 7 Robby Gordon Chevrolet 186.850 48.167 24 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 186.691 48.208 25 16 Greg Biffle Ford 186.672 48.213 26 99 Carl Edwards Ford 186.614 48.228 27 6 Mark Martin Ford 186.436 48.274 28 96 Terry Labonte Chevrolet 186.382 48.288 29 41 Reed Sorenson Dodge 186.289 48.312 30 42 Casey Mears Dodge 186.127 48.354 31 61 Kevin Lepage Ford 186.096 48.362 32 21 Ken Schrader Ford 186.043 48.376 33 12 Ryan Newman Dodge 185.774 48.446 34 27 Kirk Shelmerdine Chevrolet 185.361 48.554 35 15 Paul Menard Chevrolet 185.334 48.561 36 195 Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 185.322 48.564 37 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 185.242 48.585 38 50 Larry Foyt Dodge 185.128 48.615 39 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet 185.124 48.616 40 4 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 184.854 48.687 41 45 Kyle Petty Dodge 184.794 48.703 42 22 Dave Blaney Dodge 184.566 48.763 43 40 David Stremme Dodge 184.544 48.769 44 34 Randy LaJoie Chevrolet 184.540 48.770 45 89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge 183.576 49.026 46 55 Michael Waltrip Dodge 183.411 49.070 47 74 Derrike Cope Dodge 183.333 49.091 48 109 Mike Wallace Dodge 182.953 49.193 49 23 Mike Skinner Dodge 182.771 49.242 50 49 Brent Sherman Dodge 182.142 49.412 51 37 Chad Blount Dodge 181.906 49.476 52 92 Chad Chaffin Chevrolet 181.763 49.515 53 78 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 181.594 49.561 54 52 Larry Gunselman Dodge 181.214 49.665 55 10 Scott Riggs Dodge 180.890 49.754 56 159 Andy Belmont Chevrolet 179.960 50.011 57 180 Carl Long Ford 176.936 50.866 58 17 Matt Kenseth Ford No Speed
Saturday's Activities Rained Out At Speedway, Rescheduled for Sunday
(2-11-2006) -- Due to inclement weather, the 28th annual Budweiser Shootout and ARCA 200, all scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 11, have been postponed. NASCAR officials and officials from Daytona International Speedway announced that Sunday’s schedule is as follows (weather permitting): 9:30 a.m.: ARCA 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race (80 laps, 200 miles) 4:30 p.m.: Budweiser Shootout Tickets for Saturday's events at the Speedway will be honored on Sunday. Gates will open at 8:30 a.m. As always, every day's schedule is tentative and subject to change.
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(2-19-2006) - Car owner Rick Hendrick summed up the week in three words saying, “This is unbelievable.”
Right now, I just have so much pride in my race team, what we have accomplished today with the circumstances we've been through,” he said, as he contemplated the enormity of his accomplishment. “This is a well prepared team, a team that was very hungry and wanted to make a statement today. We stepped up and get the job done today and I'm very proud of my guys. 
The 200-lap event produced a bit of drama as Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth, NEXTEL Cup champions, bumped heads and fenders several times. Stewart, feeling Kenseth had wronged him, drove the Wisconsin native down under the yellow line and into the grass. For his transgression, Stewart was put to the back of the longest line on the restart. 
Stewart used a push from rookie Burney Lamar with 11 laps remaining to take the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Lamar held onto second, followed closely by Clint Bowyer. Jon Wood and Kevin Harvick finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Stewart appeared content to ride out the wave and finish second to Dale Earnhardt until a series of late race cautions altered that strategy. With a push from rookie driver Burney Lamar, Stewart rocketed past Earnhardt. At almost the same time, Stacy Compton drove to the high side pushed along by his own train of cars, making it a three-wide three-way battle for the lead. Earnhardt, the meat in the front row sandwich, finally slipped backwards leaving Stewart to take the victory as Lamar turned into a blocker for the veteran driver.
Lamar’s efforts to push Stewart didn’t go unnoticed by the NEXTEL Cup Champion.
(2-16-2006) - Elliott Sadler raced to victory in the first Gatorade Duels 150-mile qualifying race, beating Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. The victory guarantees the Emporia (Va.) native a third place starting position in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“To get the first Ford Fusion victory is a great, great feeling.”
“We started in the front, went to the back and came back to the front,” Labonte said during his post race interview. Now we’ve just got to figure out a way to get closer to the front. A top five finish in the 150 is a good start. It gives us something to build on for Sunday. Kyle had a good run today, too, so I’m optimistic about our chances in the 500.”
Petty echoed Labonte’s words saying, “Both cars had a good day, and Bobby drove his tail off. I think he’s got something to prove. It was a real good day for Petty Enterprises. To come down here and have one car qualify like Bobby did – we had some trouble just like some of the Evernham cars with gears – but I think we had two cars speedwise of being in the top 10. Then to put both cars in the top 10 in that group was great. I can’t say enough about Evernham engines. I’ve said it all winter long. They’re really stout.” 
Tagged to drive the No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet late last year, Hamlin proved he could handle the muscle of a Joe Gibbs Racing-prepared Chevrolet taking the checkered flag to win the Budweiser Shootout in his first competitive run at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
“I really felt confident as long as (Stewart) was behind me. He came over the radio and told my spotter for me to just run my line and he’s got everybody covered behind me. So I figured he’s going to push me to the win but it’s not that simple. He made the move to the outside, he passed me, and I said ‘Well, we’re heading the back now. We don’t have any help.’ We just got that winning push down the back-straightaway with a lap to go and once our car was out front it was untouchable”
Burton’s closest challenger, Jeff Gordon, 188.877 mph (47.650 seconds), was the 55th of 58 cars to make attempts. 
© CircleTrackPlus, EZine Media, Inc. 2006
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