Dale Jarrett never got the chance to attempt a qualifying run on Friday. But that didn't keep him from earning a spot in Saturday's Pepsi 400 starting grid. Qualifying for the Nextel Cup Series got rained out with roughly a third of the field left to qualify. With NASCAR's policy of setting the field after qualifying is cancelled due to weather, Jarrett's past champion status and current car owner's points standing earned him the starting position for tomorrow evening's race.
The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series held two practices on Thursday. Jarrett and his #44 UPS Toyota crew worked hard to get their race car up to speed. They made several changes to the shocks and the rear end gearing to pick up as much speed on the track as they could. The team found themselves right in the middle of the pack of cars that had to qualify for the race. But instead of using those notes to qualify, crew chief Jason Burdett and his team will now use what they learned to make changes during the race to make their car competitive for the 400-mile race.
Jarrett's teammates David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip showed sufficient speed to make the starting field on their qualifying efforts, as both were near the top of the speed charts when the rain struck. Unfortunately, due to the qualifying cancellation, Waltrip and his #55 team will have to pack up and go home early. Reutimann, however, will join Jarrett in the Pepsi 400 lineup, a position he earned based on owner’s points standings.
The Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday night, with television coverage on TNT beginning at 7:30 p.m.EDT. Radio coverage of the race can heard on the Motor Racing Network (MRN).
