Though he was just off the winning speed of Greg Biffle, the 47-year-old veteran thought he had claimed Wood Brothers Racing's first pole at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. But his 188.162 mph was fourth best as Biffle won the pole at 188.387.
"You're talking about a tenth of a second," Rudd said. "Everybody was slowing up about two-tenths. We ran about a .55 (Saturday) and figured that would be around a .75 (Sunday)."
SHARP CURVE: Biffle appears to be a quick study after winning the Pepsi 400 in July, then the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500. Not bad for a driver who could not qualify for the 2002 Daytona 500.
"(It's) just watching and learning," he said. "From (Dale) Jarrett to (Dale) Earnhardt Jr. and (Michael) Waltrip and Bobby Labonte, I've just learned a lot from those guys and tried to apply it."
SAY WHAT?: If you thought Kevin Harvick would watch what he says this year, think again. The often-sanctioned 28-year-old Nextel Cup regular will say what he needs to say when he needs to say it.
"I don't care if I have to pay the fines, I'm going to say what I think and do what I have to do to make myself go home and sleep at night," he said. "You just have to say it at the right time and make sure everything is the way it needs to be. A few fines don't hurt anything."
GREEN FLAG: Jeff Green, driver of Petty Enterprises' No.43 Dodge, is the latest in a string of drivers, including Waltrip and brother David Green, to leap from the local tracks of Owensboro, Ky., onto NASCAR ovals. There are many possibilities why his hometown has been so prolific, some realistic, some not.
"You might say its the Moonlite Bar-B-Q or the Ohio River," Green said, "But I think I always put my finger on being so close to Nashville. We can run down there on a Saturday night and race. They fill the stands (with) 15 to 20,000 every Saturday night and you get yourself in front of more eyes."
Green, the 2000 Busch series champ, split 2003 among Dale Earnhardt Inc., Richard Childress Racing and Petty.
