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Live from Daytona: Thursday

Location: Blogs Running Wide Open
Posted by: Joe VanHoose	2/16/2007 5:16 PM
Stewart wins first Duel, Gordon wins second. Gordon disqualified. Read it here as it happens. Thursday Happenings Gordon’s car too low, will start 500 from rear Two hours after Jeff Gordon took the win in the second Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race, NASCAR officials announced that the winner’s car had failed post-race inspection. Gordon’s Chevrolet was found to be too low, relegating the three-time Daytona 500 winner to the rear of Sunday’s field. “What we found after inspection was that the bolt and mount for the shock fastener had been misaligned,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition. “We feel that it was unintentionally done, so the result is that we’ll move him to the back of the 500.” Instead of starting fourth in Sunday’s race, Gordon will roll off the grid 42nd in the 43-car field. The 43rd spot goes to Dale Jarrett, who took the NASCAR Past Champion’s Provisional. Gordon was answering questions in the media center when he learned that his car was failing post-race inspection. “Are you serious? That sucks,” Gordon said, surprised of the news he had just learned. “I hate to hear that. I wonder how low it was.” Gordon’s car was found to be nearly an inch too low on the quarter panel measurement. Because NASCAR ruled the infraction as unintentional, Pemberton said there would be no additional fines or point reductions. “This will probably be the end of the penalty,” Pemberton said. “He will keep the win, and the penalty is moving him to the tail end of the field.” Gordon wins second Duel, Wallace and Nemechek race their way in Jeff Gordon was an afterthought, buried in the field as the second Gatorade Duel 150 at Daytona International Speedway restarted with seven laps to go. But like a thief in the night, the three-time Daytona 500 champion shot through the field in the waning laps to claim victory in the second qualifying race of the day. Gordon went from fourth to first in the final lap, weaving his way to the win. “We had some great guys helping us push forward,” Gordon said in victory lane. “It was just circumstance, and we were in the right place.” With help from David Stremme, Gordon went high to get past Matt Kenseth and then slid low to squeeze by Kurt Busch in turn 3. Busch held on for second with Stremme, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth finishing out the top five. Just like the first Gatorade Duel, the race for the transfer spots into the Daytona 500 came down to mere feet. Joe Nemechek, Paul Menard, Mike Wallace and Frank Kimmel battled back and forth in the closing laps, with Nemechek finishing ninth to claim the first transfer spot. “It was definitely exciting out there,” Nemechek said of the closing laps. “My teammates helped me out a lot. I couldn’t have done it without them.” Mike Wallace shot to the outside on the closing lap, following Nemechek to an 11th place finish and a berth in the Great American Race. “This is just an incredible, awesome experience,” said Wallace, who’s made a habit out of making the 500 through the qualifying races. “We got the track position we needed and we made it.” NASCAR veteran Ricky Rudd brought the 30-car field to the green flag, but outside pole sitter David Stremme broke away from the pack to lead the opening laps. Formula One veteran and NASCAR rookie Juan Pablo Montoya found his way to the lead on lap 4, holding the position for the next 18 laps. But Montoya’s newfound success was short-lived. He gave up the lead to Kyle Busch on lap 22 as he felt a tire beginning to go down. The tire went flat two laps later, sending Montoya’s Dodge into the wall and out of the race. “I think we clipped something on the left, because it started getting real tight around the corner,” Montoya said after the crash. “I think the bearing was going until it just went.” After pit stops during the caution, Kyle Busch retained the lead, followed by his brother and Matt Kenseth. The turning point of the race came with 10 laps to go when Brian Vickers cut a tire in turn two and plowed the outside wall. While the leaders stayed out, Gordon gave up sixth position to duck into the pits and take two right-side tires. The tires proved to be the difference maker as Gordon went from 13th to first over the last seven laps. “It was a great call by Steve (LeTarte) to take the two tires,” Gordon said of his crew chief’s late-race decision. “I could go to the outside and take advantage of it.” The win was Gordon’s fourth Gatorade Duel victory, a number he would like to match in the Daytona 500 column with a win on Sunday. “We showed that anything is possible,” Gordon said. “I didn’t think we had a car to get there today, but we got there. “I tell you, though, with these guys, it just feels awesome. I’m excited to be back at victory lane.” Stewart wins first Duel, Waltrip and Said transfer Tony Stewart has made a habit of winning every race at Daytona International Speedway except for the Daytona 500. In the first Gatorade Duel 150, Stewart added another Daytona non-500 win to his collection. Stewart got by Jeff Burton with nine laps to go and held on to win the first qualifying race of the day. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second with Jeff Burton, David Gilliland and Denny Hamlin rounding out the top five. Stewart, who also won the Budweiser Shootout earlier this week, would trade all of his Daytona wins for one Daytona 500 victory, and he likes his chances and his car for Sunday. “This Chevy’s been bad to the bone all week,” Stewart said in victory lane. “I feel real good about Sunday, but there are no guarantees.” As Stewart led Earnhardt Jr. to the checkered flag, most eyes were focused on the battle for the two transfer spots into the Daytona 500. Michael Waltrip came from dead last to finish eighth and claim a berth in the race after having his primary car confiscated earlier this week. Waltrip, who said he was close to packing up and leaving the track yesterday, said he was thankful for the opportunity. “I’m happy and sad at the same time,” Waltrip said on pit road after the race. “But Daytona will do that to you. “I’m sorry and sad about what happened, but I knew I didn’t need anything cheating on my car. I knew I could race my way in.” The second transfer spot came down to a last lap duel between Mike Bliss and Boris Said. The two raced side-by-side on the last lap, leaning on each other at the finish line with Said winning by a nose. For Bliss, coming within two feet of making the Daytona 500 was hard to take. “It sucks,” he said. “We’ve been so bad, but we were so close to racing our way in, and now I’ll be watching the race on TV Sunday. I want to cry.” Daytona rookie David Gilliland led a field of 31 cars to the green flag, but NASCAR rookie David Ragan jumped out front and led the first few laps. The first caution came out on lap 9 when Jeremy Mayfield got squeezed in a three wide pack, shooting off the wall on the front stretch. Every car but Waltrip pitted under caution, giving Waltrip the lead. On lap 17, Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart teamed up to pass Waltrip on the high side of turn 2. As Earnhardt Jr. went by on the outside, Waltrip tried to cut in behind him. Waltrip miscalculated the move, clipping Earnhardt Jr. in the rear and sending his Chevrolet spinning down the backstretch. Both Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr. sustained minor damage and fell to the rear of the field. The field went back to green flag racing on lap 20, but the caution flag flew once again on lap 23 when Robby Gordon and A.J. Allmendinger tangled in turn 4. The contact sent Gordon’s car hard into the turn 4 wall and then back across the track into Allmendinger. Both cars were done for the day, with Allmendinger missing his chance to make the race. “It’s not good with what happened,” Allmendinger said, dejected after emerging from the infield care center. “These guys have worked their butts off, and they deserve to be in the 500.” The next caution came out on lap 39 when Ragan cut a tire and sprayed debris all over the track. Ragan would pit for repairs, but he returned to the track on lap 45 and cut another tire, this time slamming into the outside wall on the backstretch. Former Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton worked his way through the field and put himself in a position to claim a transfer spot, but Bliss turned him around in turn 3, sending Burton into the wall and out of the race. The late caution set up a green-white-checkered two-lap shootout. Stewart led the field down for the restart and kept the draft behind him, cruising to victory with Earnhardt Jr. in tow. The win gave Stewart a little more confidence and solidified the feeling in the garage he may be in line to win his first Daytona 500. “Hopefully we got one more win in us,” Stewart said. “The qualifying races and shootouts are great and so are the July races, but I want this bad.” Waltrip penalized hard, will race today Michael Waltrip penalized hard, will race today DAYTONA BEACH – Michael Waltrip Racing had everything to gain and everything to lose when the team unloaded at Daytona International Speedway this week. Making the Daytona 500 would give his new three-car team with new sponsors and a new manufacturer in Toyota a great start to build on, not to mention some credibility on the circuit. So far, the team has lost much more than it’s gained. And its credibility is all but gone. In pre-qualifying inspection Sunday, Michael Waltrip’s Toyota was found to be carrying a foreign substance in its intake manifold. NASCAR confiscated Waltrip’s car and determined Tuesday that the substance, while unnamed, was illegal. NASCAR announced the penalty for “Actions detrimental to stock car racing” Wednesday, impounding the car, fining Waltrip’s crew chief David Hyder $100,000, erasing 100 of Waltrip’s driver and owner points, ejecting Hyder from the speedway and sending Waltrip to the rear of the field for today’s Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race. Thursday morning, Michael Waltrip Racing Vice President Ty Norris addressed reporters, admitting that Waltrip came very close to not racing in today’s Duels. “I didn’t know what he was going to do until this morning, but last night I thought he may not run today,” Norris said. But Waltrip will race today, starting 31st in the first of two qualifying races. To make the Daytona 500, he must pass 12 drivers in front of him who must also qualify via their finish. Only the top two finishers of the 13 drivers who are outside the top 35 in points will make the race. Even still, Waltrip is optimistic. “I’ve always drafted well, and I think I can go out there today and race my way in,” Waltrip said in a press conference earlier today. “But I told the team when we came down here that winning the 500 wouldn’t define our team, and if we miss the race, it won’t define our team either.” Either way, Waltrip’s newly-formed team must rebuild its character. Qualifying for the Daytona 500 legally today could be the first step. Drivers on the bubble The following are notables who must race their way into the Daytona 500 via the Gatorade Duels Race One 8. Jeremy Mayfield 15. Ward Burton 19. A.J. Allmendinger 21. Bill Elliot 23. Kenny Wallace 30. James Hylton 31. Michael Waltrip Race Two 7. David Reutimann 9. Mike Skinner 12. Regan Smith 15. Paul Menard 20. Brian Vickers 21. Joe Nemechek 27. Derrike Cope 28. Mike Wallace

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