Daytona 500 qualifying for the #44 UPS Toyota Team turned out exactly how Dale Jarrett predicted. Now, the hopes are that the team's thoughts on how the #44 UPS Toyota Camry will perform in the draft are as right on as the qualifying prediction.
Jarrett turned in a qualifying time of 49.435 seconds and 182.061 mph to finish the nearly four-hour qualifying session in 50th position. That qualifying effort will place the driver of the #44 UPS Toyota deep in the starting lineup for the Gatorade Duels this Thursday, which will determine the starting lineup for the 49th Daytona 500.
Prior to Sunday's qualifying session Jarrett had been explaining to the media that the UPS Team's goal was to go to Daytona with a race car that would perform well in the draft and if the sacrifice for that handling was speed on qualifying day, then so be it.
"We decided early on in testing with this car that with the amount of downforce, it felt to me like this was the car we wanted to use for the 500," Jarrett said. "We knew today wasn't going to be pretty as far as speed for us and that is just a sacrifice you have to make when determining which car to use. I still think I could race my way in on Thursday if it all goes like I think it will with this race car. Basically today was just a day to throw away for us. Our work starts on Wednesday and I think we will be pretty good for Thursday and next Sunday."
With the champion's provisional guaranteeing him a spot in the Daytona 500, Jarrett had the luxury of being able to work on handling more than speed at Daytona. Jarrett's new teammates, David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip, however, do have to either qualify on time or race their way into the Daytona 500.
Reutimann was the top qualifying driver for Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota with a qualifying time of 48.802 seconds and 184.419 mph to finish the session in 15th position. Waltrip's #55 NAPA team had issues during the inspection process with the intake manifold, leading to the item's confiscation by NASCAR. Waltrip was 25th in qualifying with a lap time of 48.940 seconds and 183.899 mph but it has yet to be determined whether NASCAR will levy penalties that may affect that position.
Robert Yates Racing swept the front row for the Daytona 500 with David Gilliland securing the Bud Pole and Ricky Rudd winning the outside pole. Gilliland turned in a qualifying time of 48.304 seconds and 186.320 mph to secure the top starting spot for Sunday's Daytona 500.
The racing action for the rest of the week in Daytona includes the Gatorade Duels on Thursday, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on Friday night and NASCAR Busch Series race on Saturday, with all events leading up to the main event that starts Sunday at 3:15 p.m. EST. FOX will provide live television coverage of all the racing action.
