Sports & Recreation

{NOTE:  This is the original pre-race article we ran this issue.  It was displaced by the current feature issue about the death of "The Intimidator" -- Dale Earnhardt, Sr. ... RIP.}

Good Sport:  Start Your Engines!
   It's Daytona Time Again

DAYTONA 500 / Feb. 18, 2001 -- 1 p.m. EST
Broadcast:        TV:  FOX, 12pm ET 
                    Radio:  MRN 11:30 am ET

It was only four months ago that we included NASCAR in our Links to Sports & Rec On-Line to mark the end of the Winston Cup Series season.  Now, the Daytona is just days away, marking the start of the 2001 36-race season {two more than last year} that will end eight months from now with the NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 18th.  ...

The Positions ...  
{Click here to drop down to the full listing, below.}

For this year's race, Dodge has landed the top three spots, with Bill Elliot, last year's 3rd place finisher at Daytona, at the pole.  Elliot, who is the Daytona track record holder with his 1987 lap of 210.364 mph, posted a speed of 183.565.  Stacy Compton, who finished 26th at Daytona last time around, followed with a speed of 182.682.  Sterling Marlin {24th last year}finished 1st in the 1st 125 qualifier, rounding out the Dodge spots.  

Chevy took the next three positions with Mike Skinner, who finished the race in 16th position last year, at the front.  But Jerry Nadeau, it seems, 35th last year, ran into some 'technical difficulties' in the qualifying heats.  ...

According to NASCAR's on-line news, The Buzz, 

"Although NASCAR hasn't yet given specifics on what was illegal on Jerry Nadeau's No. 25 Chevrolet Saturday during pole qualifying for the Daytona 500, here's what happened, according to one Winston Cup car chief: 

The rear spring unit on Nadeau's car was actually two pieces, the top piece larger in diameter than the bottom piece, whereas the legal spring is a single unit.  When the car was sitting still, these two pieces rested on top of one another at the NASCAR-sanctioned height.  However, when the car was in motion, aerodynamic downforce pushed the smaller spring inside the larger one, making the car run lower through the air and thus, produce less drag on the rear spoiler and faster speeds.

According to the source, Nadeau's crew chief, Tony Furr, may well have slid the spring package past NASCAR had a piece of the unit not fallen off and onto the track during Nadeau's qualifying run.  Had this piece not fallen off, the springs would likely have gone back to normal height before the car was sent through the tech line."  [February 11, 2001 5:17 PM EST]

We'll see.  ...

Dale Earnhardt Jr., last year's rookie who took 13th at Daytona, this year edged out Dale Senior {21st last year} by one position to take 6th.  ...  

Rounding out the Top 10 are Jeff Burton, last year's No. 2 finisher.  

Next comes the only rookie in this year's Top Ten position -- #96 Andy Houston with PPI.  Both Jeff Burton & Houston are in Fords.  

Finally, Ward Burton, last year's 8th-place finisher, will brining up the back end of the Top Ten in another Dodge.

Last year's winner, #88 Dale Jarrett, is back in 31st position.  He clocked a speed a little less than 0.5mph behind Compton, at 182.622.  

Kevin LePage of Shelburne, who turns 39 this year, is out of the picture for Daytona after losing his Roush ride at the end of last season.  This was despite his season-best 3rd place finish at Atlanta last year.  

Lepage made 10 Busch Series starts last season while running a full season in the Winston Cup Series.  This year, Lepage is focusing on the Busch program, "with plans to run a limited number of races in the No. 71 Chevrolet in 2001 in conjunction with co-owner and crew chief Steve Plattenberger."

Next up, the series will go on to North Carolina for the KMart/Duralube 400 {Feb. 25th} ... then it's on to Las Vegas for the UAW - DaimlerChrysler 400 {March 4th}.  Following that is the first stop at Atlanta for the  Cracker Barrel 500 {March 11th}.  ...

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Lou Colasanti, Editor & Laura Wisniewski, Associate Editor
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