DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR is back — and so is Juniormania.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. reclaimed the spotlight in Daytona Speedweeks, winning the pole position for the Daytona 500 with a lap of 186.089 mph in qualifying Sunday.
It’s a boost for Earnhardt, who is coming off a couple of disappointing seasons and spent part of the past week facing questions about the 10-year anniversary of his father’s death at the track.
Still, Earnhardt was in an upbeat, joking mood after winning the pole. And while he understands the hype his presence on the pole and his family ties are bound to stir up this week, he’ll try to ignore it.
“I’m here to race,” Earnhardt said. “And I understand the situation, and I’m looking forward to seeing how my father is honored and remembered throughout the week, and I’ll enjoy that. But I don’t really get into the hypothetical, fairy-tale sort of stuff. I just want to focus on my job.”
Earnhardt’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, qualified second. It’s the second straight Daytona 500 front-row sweep for Hendrick.
The rest of the field will be set after two qualifying races Thursday. Bill Elliott, Travis Kvapil and Joe Nemechek also clinched spots in the field, and Terry Labonte is assured of a starting spot.
Having NASCAR’s most popular driver take the green flag first next Sunday could provide some traction for a sport looking to pick up sagging television ratings and attendance. An Earnhardt win would be even bigger.
“I think that’s just kind of going to build the hype and excitement for next Sunday’s race,” Gordon said. “I love to bring back a lot of these memories about Dale and what he brought to the sport.”
But Earnhardt acknowledged that qualifying results aren’t necessarily a good predictor of success in the race.
“It obviously gives you a good idea that you’ve got a great car, but anyone can win the race,” Earnhardt said.
Smith to start 16th in Duel.
Regan Smith of Denver’s Furniture Row Racing will start 16th in Thursday’s first Gatorade Duel qualifying race. Smith clocked 183.681 mph for the 28th-fastest time Sunday.
“We have three more days of practice plus the qualifying race to get us dialed in for the 500,” Smith said. “We’ll not only be looking for more speed . . . but also for a Daytona 500 drafting partner. It’s like musical chairs — you don’t want to be the last guy without a chair, and you sure don’t want to be the last driver without a dancing partner in the big race.”
Slow going.
NASCAR is making two technical changes in hopes of limiting two-car hookups and 200-plus mph speeds before the Daytona 500.
Officials are adding pressure- release valves to cooling systems and reducing the size of grille openings. The changes will limit the length of time two cars can run bumper to bumper. Cars will have to break those formations to avoid overheating engines. That is expected to drop speeds that topped 206 mph in Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout.
