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Motorsports

Drivers must fight for spots

DAYTONA BEACH -- Today's twin 125-mile qualifying races will be a nervous time for drivers needing to race their way into Sunday's Daytona 500. Keep an eye on 14th place.

That's where the action will be.

Jeff Green and Dale Earnhardt Jr., the fastest in Monday's qualifying, have secured spots in the front row for the 500, but those who do not have fast times or owner points to fall back on need to finish among the top 14 -- excluding Green and Earnhardt -- of each race.

"Hopefully, I can position myself to stay up in the top 10 because the racing won't be as frantic up there as the race from about 13th to 17th," said rookie Greg Biffle, driving for a first-year team with Roush Racing. "That's where they're fighting for the transfer spot. I just need to protect my car, because it's the only one I've got."

Others, such as veteran Ricky Rudd, will be more concerned with staying out of harm's way. Rudd qualified fifth in the No. 21 Ford and is guaranteed a place in the 500 lineup.

"Our goal is to get through this 125 in one piece with a good starting position for the Daytona 500," Rudd said. "Going out there with the attitude to win the race or knock the wall down, that doesn't make any sense for us in our position."

A smaller fuel cell will bring pit strategy into play for the first time. Whereas teams used to be able to go 50 laps without stopping, the 13.5-gallon fuel cell being used in restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega will necessitate at least one stop.

FRONT ROW JOE: Joe Nemechek was up to his old tricks, snagging the pole for Saturday's Busch Grand National season opener. Nemechek, a Lakeland native nicknamed "Front Row Joe," clocked 186.050 mph in the No. 87 Pontiac, .121 seconds faster than Earnhardt Jr.

"We're very fortunate to have success on the superspeedway tracks," said Nemechek, who has eight poles and four victories in BGN races at Daytona and Talladega.

Earnhardt Jr., who also starts second in the Daytona 500, was surprised when Nemechek bumped him from the pole.

"He didn't look like a favorite, but you always know Joe's got more in the race car than he's willing to show," said Earnhardt, the defending champion of the Busch race, who will make his debut in the No. 8 Chevrolet he co-owns with stepmother Teresa Earnhardt. "I anticipate drafting with Joe a lot, and he'll be quite a challenge to take the lead from."

MR. POPULARITY: Bill Elliott cast the first vote Wednesday for the 2003 National Motorsports Press Association's Most Popular Driver Award, and one thing is certain.

He won't win again.

Elliott, who beat Earnhardt Jr. to win the award for the 16th time last season, announced he is removing himself from consideration this year. Fans will have to pick someone else.

"I've had such a loyal fan base for so many years, it's been incredible," said Elliott, the 1988 Winston Cup champion. "Sometimes, it takes honors like the Most Popular Driver to realize the power of this, and it's time for another driver to enjoy that feeling with the fans."

Elliott withdrew his name from balloting in 2001, making way for Dale Earnhardt to win the award posthumously. When Elliott retires, the NMPA will rename it the Bill Elliott Award.

Fans can vote once a day at www.mostpopulardriver.com. Last year a record 3.3-million votes were cast by thousands of fans.

TOYOTA GOES TRUCKING: Toyota will compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2004, marking the first time a foreign auto maker will race in a top NASCAR series. The manufacturer announced its plans Wednesday at the Chicago Auto Show.

Toyota will race with its Tundra model, avoiding NASCAR's rule prohibiting foreign cars by running the program out of its sales division in the United States. The Tundra is built exclusively in Princeton, Ind.

This move could pave the way for Toyota in Winston Cup. Dodge, which returned to NASCAR's premier series in 2001, followed the same path after starting in truck racing in 1995.

FORM A POSSE: World of Outlaws drivers Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski will start on the front row for Friday's International Race of Champions opener. A blind draw set the field for the 40-lap race, in which 12 drivers from five series will compete in identically prepared Firebird Trans-Ams.

UH, THOSE ARE FENDERS: Jimmy Vasser, the 1996 CART champion and a regular in the open-wheel series, qualified fifth for the BGN race. He will compete in a handful of BGN races this season with an eye toward a possible career change.

SPEED CHART: Rudd and Sterling Marlin became the first to break the 190-mph mark in Wednesday afternoon's Winston Cup practice. Rudd was fastest at 190.166 mph, Marlin .005 seconds behind in the No. 40 Dodge.

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