Daytona Beach, Fla. – Jeff Gordon and Elliott Sadler won Thursday’s Gatorade Duels, the final steps in determining Sunday’s Daytona 500 lineup.
Pole-sitter Jeff Burton and Gordon locked up front-row spots for the season-opening race with their traditional qualifying runs last Sunday. The remaining 41 positions were settled Thursday. Sadler claimed the No. 3 starting position with his victory in the first 150-mile Duel, and Kyle Busch, runner-up to Gordon in the second Duel, earned the No. 4 position for Sunday.
Gordon, looking for his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory and fourth overall in NASCAR’s biggest race, once again is the favorite.
“I definitely think we’re one of the guys,” Gordon said. “With our track record here at Daytona, with the performance that we’ve got going for us already this week, I’d like to think that we’re one of the favorites. But whether we’re the guy to beat or not, we’ll find out in the closing laps of the 500.”
Denver team misses cut
Kenny Wallace, driving for Denver-based Furniture Row Racing, finished 14th in the second 150-mile race – falling just short of securing a spot on Sunday for the rookie team.
Wallace, who started 26th, didn’t have much of a chance to make the 43-car field because spots are reserved for last year’s top 35 teams based on owners points, and Terry Labonte took a provisional starting position as a former champion.
Fourteen teams competed for the seven available spots. Wallace needed to finish among the top two new teams in his Duel, and he was third behind Robby Gordon (who finished 10th) and younger brother Mike Wallace (12th).
“We got close,” Furniture Row owner and Cherry Hills resident Barney Visser said. “It’s been a lot of fun, and we’re going to surprise some people. We’re getting there.”
Visser’s team last year had qualified for each of its two previous Cup races, but had virtually no experience at restrictor-plate tracks such as Daytona’s.
The top-35 rule is in place for the first five races of the season. Visser said his team will attempt to qualify for the next four, beginning next week at California Speedway.
Footnotes
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chad Chaffin were forced to start in the back of the 29-car No. 1 Duel because of penalties for changing engines (Earnhardt) and missing the pre-race driver’s meeting (Chaffin). Earnhardt rallied to finish third. Jimmie Johnson previously was sent to the back for failing Sunday’s technical inspection, and he, too, rallied, finishing fourth behind Earnhardt. … Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens was named honorary official for Sunday’s race. Others scheduled to participate in pre-race activities include rock star Jon Bon Jovi, who will perform; “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, who will drive a pace car; actor James Caan, who will give the command to start the engines; and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, who will sing the national anthem.
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
