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DAYTONA BEACH - The old man still has something left for the young bucks at Daytona.
Dale Jarrett, a three-time Daytona 500 winner caught in the shadow of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon at NASCAR's most famous track, won the pole Sunday for Nextel Cup's Feb. 20 season opener.
Jarrett's three Daytona 500 victories equal that of Gordon (two) and Earnhardt (one) combined, but since his last win in 2000, the 48-year-old has become almost an afterthought.
Teammates Earnhardt and Michael Waltrip have won five of the last nine at Daytona since Jarrett's 500 victory and Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have made major in-roads in the last two years.
But Jarrett, fighting off a lingering case of the flu, covered the 2.5-mile track in 47.793 seconds at 188.312 mph to win his third Daytona 500 pole. He understands why Gordon and Earnhardt have gotten more attention recently and was pleased to show he still has something left, especially since the impending retirement of some of his contemporaries has raised questions about his future.
"You really haven't seen the 88 car or my face or my name mentioned that much about (the Daytona 500)," said Jarrett, who won from the pole in 2000. "And I think even though we haven't contended the last couple of years for wins, I think we still know what it takes to win at this. So it's kind of nice to say we're not finished with this yet. We may be getting on up there in age, but that really doesn't make any difference when you get out here."
Jarrett will share the front row with Johnson, who was second fastest in the No. 48 Chevrolet. Gordon was third followed by Kevin Harvick, Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs and Jason Leffler as Chevys claimed six of the top seven spots. Rounding out the top 10 in qualifying were reigning Cup champion Kurt Busch, Ricky Rudd and Elliott Sadler, all in Fords.
A frustrated Earnhardt was not surprised that his No. 8 Chevrolet qualified 39th. The car tested poorly in January at Daytona and finished seventh in Saturday's Bud Shootout after having mechanical problems.
"What can you do? You just hold it wide open," Earnhardt said. "It ain't like it's a handling issue, if you catch my drift."
Earnhardt's teammates also struggled; Busch series champion Martin Truex Jr. was 31st and Waltrip was 33rd.
Kerry Earnhardt, Junior's half-brother, was among 18 drivers who failed to clinch starting spots Sunday.
Only Jarrett and Johnson's positions are locked for the 500; under NASCAR's new qualifying rules, the top 35 teams in car owner points are assured spots in the race. Sunday's qualifying set the starting order for Thursday's two qualifying races, upped from 125 miles to 150 this year.
The four fastest drivers not among the top 35 in 2004 owner points - Leffler, Boris Said, Mike Skinner and John Andretti - locked up starting spots. Earnhardt will start in the 11th row in his qualifier and will have many cars to negotiate to improve his 500 starting position. He believes his acumen for restrictor plate racing will help offset his engine shortcomings.
"Thursday, I'll be fast and toward the front, barring any problems like we had last night," he said. "I should be fine in the race, but there (are) cars here that (are) way better than us. Last year we had the best car. There are cars here that are better. That doesn't mean we can't beat them."