DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The past and present will converge in the pace laps prior to the green flag for the 52nd annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Feb. 14.To mark the 50th anniversary of Junior Johnson’s victory in the “The Great American Race”, a replica Daytona 500-winning No. 27 Chevrolet as well as the 2009 Daytona 500-winning car of Matt Kenseth will take to the high banks and participate in the pace laps prior to the green flag of the Daytona 500.

“The Daytona 500 is full of tradition,” Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. “We believe that saluting these Daytona 500-winning cars in the pace laps prior to ‘The Great American Race’ will become another special tradition at Daytona.”

Johnson, the first driver to use drafting on the superspeedways, claimed his only Daytona 500 win in 1960 driving for crew chief Ray Fox and owner John Masoni. The ride came together in a last-minute deal and Fox only had seven days to build the Daytona 500-winning race car.

On lap 191, Johnson was drafting Bobby Johns when, coming off of Turn 2, Johns’ car was hit with a gust of win. The air pressure popped out the rear window and put Johns in a spin. Johnson would claim the Daytona 500 by a margin of 23 seconds.

Alongside the No. 27 Chevrolet during the Daytona 500 pace laps will be the winning car from the 2009 Daytona 500 – Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 DeWalt Ford from Roush Fenway Racing.

Kenseth, who earned Roush his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2003, was able to deliver Roush his first Daytona 500 victory – a feat that has eluded the multi-team owner for over 20 years.

The No. 17 was inducted into “The Official Attraction of NASCAR” – Daytona 500 Experience – after its victory in 2009 and will be returned to Roush Fenway Racing on Sunday morning, Feb. 14 prior to the start of the Daytona 500.
Tickets for all of Hershey’s Milk & Milkshakes Speedweeks events, including the Daytona 500, are available on your web-enabled phone at mobile.daytonainternationalspeedway.com, online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.
Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter (www.twitter.com/disupdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway). - dis pr

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After making her stock car racing debut in last weekend’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 and finishing sixth, Danica Patrick announced today that she will also make her NASCAR debut at Daytona International Speedway.

Patrick will make her first NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the “World Center of Racing” in Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 behind the wheel of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

The 120-lap, 300-mile race will kick off Patrick’s partial NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule that she plans on running with JR Motorsports in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

“This is great news to hear,” Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. “Danica put on a fantastic show for race fans last weekend. From her incredible save in the tri-oval to working her way back through the field to finish sixth, there’s not a better place for her to make her first NASCAR start than Daytona International Speedway.”

“To be the one driving that Go Daddy car at Daytona means a lot to me,” Patrick said.  “Racing in the Nationwide Series race was my goal during this entire two-month preparation process, but we wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do.  The ARCA race was a blast, and I’m not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet.  I want more racing.”

Patrick, who stars in the IZOD IndyCar Series with Andretti Green Racing, delivered a solid performance in her first stock car race on the storied 31-degree high banks during last weekend’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and RE/MAX event.

She was involved in an incident on the frontstretch but was able to keep her car off the wall and with 10 laps to go, Patrick charged through the field and nipped Supercross legend Ricky Carmichael at the stripe for a sixth-place finish.
Tickets for all Hershey’s Milk & Milkshakes Speedweeks events, including the 52nd annual Daytona 500, are available on your web-enabled phone at mobile.daytonainternationalspeedway.com, online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.
Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter (www.twitter.com/disupdates) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway) - dis pr

This time a year ago, Ask.com was preparing to make the splash of the season at Daytona. It had a custom-made motor coach, pretty girls dressed in red and white to act as Ask Ambassadors throughout the speedway, and up to 30 new 15-second ad spots.

The eager search engine had seemingly thought of everything for its first year of an official partnership with NASCAR and a team sponsorship at Hall of Fame Racing.

But as the industry rolls into Daytona this week for the start of the 2010 season, the major question will be: What happened to Ask.com?

Despite trumpeting successful results from its sponsorships and advertising in NASCAR last year, the Barry Diller-owned company opted not to return this year, allowing its NASCAR partnership and team deal to expire after one year. A change in leadership—CEO Jim Safka did the NASCAR deals last year but was replaced by president Doug Leeds in October—led to changes in marketing.

Ask.com spent about $15 million on its NASCAR sponsorships and activation last year, industry insiders said. Its official deal with NASCAR was in the low seven figures, while the team sponsorship cost Ask.com $4 million.

The majority of NASCAR sponsors whose deals were up last year renewed, including Dodge, Unilever, DuPont, DirecTV, Kraft, and Procter & Gamble brands Gillette, Old Spice and Prilosec OTC.

NASCAR also added Screenvision and Drive4COPD as new partners, with Screenvision being the official cinema ad agency and Drive4COPD, a group that drives awareness and screening for lung disease, serving as the official health initiative.

DirecTV's renewal is accompanied by a new HotPass product for 2010 that is expected to remain free but come with a new consumer promotion that will be announced this week in Daytona.

Among the sponsors that didn't renew for this year: P&G brand Duracell, Best Western, Yardman/Cub Cadet, and Kellogg's, along with Ask.

"We're happy with a 75 percent renewal rate, especially given the economy," NASCAR's Jim O'Connell, vice president of corporate marketing said. "The important thing about the sponsors that renewed is that most of them are fully integrated into the sport with teams and drivers and they're activating nationally, which helps NASCAR reach new fans."

The Ask.com departure, though, was tough to swallow because it held a prominent place on NASCAR.COM as the official search engine, it advertised heavily, and the business results were good.

"We saw double-digit increases in usage among NASCAR fans," Cluff said. "With the fan cards that our Ask Ambassadors passed out at the track, we saw a 27 percent conversion rate to the site, so fans were coming back from the track and going to the site. That's a remarkable stat."

Cluff didn't rule out the possibility of an advertising play in NASCAR during the back half of the season, but those plans have not been finalized, he said.

O'Connell said NASCAR is pressing forward in several categories such as consumer electronics, a larger technology partner and a quick-service restaurant.

Sony was formerly the electronics partner but left last year, and in-depth talks with Panasonic didn't produce a deal. AMD was formerly the technology partner but vacated in 2007, while the quick-service restaurant category has been open since Checkers/Rally's left in 2008.

NASCAR's official partner count stands at 36. - sporting news wire service/www.nascar.com

By TONY VENEZIANO

World of Outlaws

Barberville, FL-- February 6, 2010--Donny Schatz wrapped up 2009 standing on top of the podium after claiming his fourth consecutive World of Outlaws title, and he began the 2010 season on top again taking the win on Saturday night in the season opening 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.

Schatz lined up third in the Armor All J&J and quickly moved into second and then battled Tim Shaffer and led the first lap, before the latter retook the top spot on the second circuit. Schatz tracked Shaffer back down in lapped traffic and drove under him on the 12th lap in turn one to take the lead. He would lead the remainder of the 30-lapper, including after two double file restarts to score the win over Joey Saldana and Steve Kinser.

"That's the way to start, that's awesome," said Schatz. "Everyone has their cars stuck so hard that it puts it more on the drivers and that's what I like to see. I'm glad to get the win. Normally I don't run well on the top when its fast, but I could go all over. The guys have been working pretty hard and we have been playing since we got to Ocala. We learned a lot of things and I think we have five or six nights ahead of everyone, hopefully."

For Schatz, the $10,000 victory was his fourth World of Outlaws A-Feature win at Volusia Speedway Park and his ninth career victory at the track. He has claimed the season opener in three of the four years. The North Dakota native has finished eighth or better in eight straight events with the series at the half-mile.

"This place is so much different than it used to be," explained Schatz. "It used to have sand on it and now it has more clay and it changed the surface a little bit. It's great to see the races when you get two grooves and you can run the bottom and the top. That is all you can ask for in a race track."

Saldana, who won earlier in the week in the DIRTcar Nationals in an event under the All Star Circuit of Champions banner, finished second aboard the Budweiser Maxim on Saturday night to earn his third straight podium at the half-mile. He lined up eighth and steadily worked his way to the front.

"We've had a good car these last three races and the cool part is that we have been passing cars to get to first and second," shared Saldana. "We're doing everything right. We're learning our race cars with these new tires. We'll come back tomorrow and try to get a win."

Schatz battled Jason Meyers early in the race while Shaffer opened a slight lead before the pair closed back in on the leader in lapped traffic 10 laps into the main event. After Schatz took the lead from Shaffer, Meyers closed in and began to battle for the runner-up spot with Saldana in the mix as well.

The first caution of the season flew on the 15th lap leading to the first double file restart of the year. Schatz chose the inside line for the restart and used a strong start to lead the field into turn one, with Saldana nearly taking the second spot from Shaffer.

Meyers moved into second on lap-18 and was closing on Schatz when the caution flew on the very next circuit. On the restart, Schatz again chose the inside lane and opened a couple of car length lead while Saldana powered his way around the top to come from fourth to second.

Schatz continued to pull away as he entered lapped traffic with six laps to go. At the same time, Steve Kinser and Meyer battled for third, with the former eventually taking the final spot on the podium. Schatz negotiated traffic down the stretch to score the 101st A-Feature win of his World of Outlaws career.

In his first World of Outlaws race for Tony Stewart Racing, 20-time series champion Steve Kinser, finished third in the Bass Pro Shops Maxim on Saturday night. He fell back to sixth early in the race and began to work his way back up after that, including battling his son Kraig for a number of laps.

"We went a little bit overboard on the set-up," shared the Hall of Famer. "It's a little different car than we normally run so we're playing with it a little bit. I can't complain, but I'm still a little bit disappointed."

Jason Meyers finished fourth in the GLR Investments KPC to earn his seventh consecutive Top-10 finish in a World of Outlaws event at Volusia Speedway Park. Tim Shaffer wound up leading a total of 10 laps aboard the Kistler Engines J&J and came home fifth.

Kraig Kinser was sixth in his return to his father's team aboard the Quaker State Maxim. Lucas Wolfe came all the way from the 22ndstarting spot to finish seventh in the Allebach Racing Maxim. Lance Dewease was eighth in the Advance Development Systems J&J, with Jason Sides ninth aboard the Wetherington Tractor Service Maxim. Mark Smith rounded out the Top-10 in the Bricker's French Fries Mach 1.

Saldana, who led the World of Outlaws with 20 A-Feature wins last season, is the current point leader in the battle for the overall DIRTcar Nationals titles, which he has come close to winning a couple of times in the past. Steve Kinser is currently second in event points, with Craig Dollansky third, Donny Schatz fourth and Jason Meyers fifth.

"We just have to keep doing what we are doing," said Saldana. "If we keep running how we are, we're bound to win a race. It may not be tomorrow, but if you start eighth and run second, you are definitely making progress all night and are doing the right things. I know we worked our way up there and back and then up there again racing some real tough competitors. It's been a great performance for this team all three nights."

The World of Outlaws wrap up the sprint car portion of the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio on Sunday night at Volusia Speedway Park.

DIRTCAR NATIONALS SATURDAY NOTES

*FILLING IN: Brad Sweet filled in for Cody Darrah in the No 91 Great Clips Maxim for Kasey Kahne Racing on Saturday night. Darrah suffered a broken leg earlier in the day in a traffic accident that will require surgery.

*FAST QUALIFIER: Jason Sides paced the 37 cars that took time with an AMB i.t. timed lap around the semi-banked half-mile oval at 13.691 seconds at 131.473 mph. For his qualifying effort, Sides earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Joey Saldana (4), Donny Schatz (3), Steve Kinser (2) and Kraig Kinser (1).

* DIRTCAR NATIONALS QUALIFYING WINNERS: Kraig Kinser, Joey Saldana, Fred Rahmer and Sam Hafertepe Jr. won heat races. Tim Shaffer won the dash. Dale Blaney won the B-Main.

* FEATURE WINNERS: There has been one World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature event held in 2010. The winner was Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park).

* HALF-MILE WINNERS: Volusia Speedway Park is a semi-banked half-mile. The World of Outlaws have raced once a track that size in 2010. The winner was Donny Schatz (Volusia Speedway Park). - www.hdnews.net

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Former Formula One driver Nelson Piquet Jr. will enter the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

Red Horse Racing announced Monday that Piquet will enter the No. 1 Toyota in Friday’s race at Daytona.

“We have closely observed Nelson in our testing and believe he has a great future in NASCAR,” said Tom DeLoach, managing partner of Red Horse. “He exhibits excellent car control, gives good feedback, but needs the side-by-side experience. He’ll get plenty of that in Daytona.”

The Brazilian driver has tested several times with Red Horse and made his stock-car debut in Saturday’s ARCA race at Daytona. He started seventh, finished 27th, and bumped fenders with Danica Patrick to trigger her spin through the grass that took Patrick out of race-winning contention.

“The size of the Daytona track is amazing,” Piquet said. “I can’t wait to reach 200 mph side by side in a tight drafting pack of trucks. I can’t wait to get out on track and start my NASCAR career.”

Piquet triggered an F1 scandal last year when he revealed he deliberately crashed his car to help teammate Fernando Alonso win the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Piquet was fired by Renault in August, and began exploring opportunities in NASCAR shortly afterward.

Red Horse Racing is still searching for a sponsor for Piquet’s entry, and there was no immediate word on any future races with the team.

“Nelson has a huge international following, which hopefully will attract a race partner for the team,” DeLoach said. - AP

TOPEKA, Kan. -- A partnership hoping to build a casino in Kansas City, Kan., is expected to clear its final regulatory hurdle this week.

The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled Friday to consider a background report on Kansas Entertainment LLC. It wants to build the casino at Kansas Speedway, a NASCAR track in the Kansas City area.

If the commission approves the background report as anticipated, Kansas Entertainment can go ahead with the $521 million project.

Both the Kansas Lottery and a separate casino selection board have signed off on the project.

Kansas Entertainment is a venture of the track's parent company, International Speedway Corp., and Pennsylvania-based Penn National Gaming Inc. They hope to open the casino early in 2012.  - AP

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- New Camping World Truck Series owner Kyle Busch plans to race two trucks for the full 2010 season, which begins Friday at Daytona International Speedway, despite losing his truck's primary sponsor on Thursday.

"We're good for Daytona, but we've got nothing else," Busch said. "We're running full-time [and] I will definitely run every race this year, with myself and Brian Ickler [driving]."

At Daytona for Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout, Busch said he would announce a sponsor for Friday's NextEra Energy 250 "by Monday or Tuesday."

"We're very, very close," Busch said. "We haven't announced yet because we're trying to get it where it's good for us and good for our partner that we've got. As soon as we figure that out it'll be announced.

"Unfortunately we're in the predicament that we're in, but I feel confident that the series is strong and there are a lot of good opportunities for a lot of good partners to come up and be with us.

"I look at it as a business adventure where I can build a lot of relationships with a lot of good people as I go."

Through a cooperative deal with fellow team owner James Finch, Busch thought he had sponsorship for the No. 18 Toyota truck he'll share this season with Ickler, a NASCAR Touring Division and Late Model graduate who made 11 Truck starts last season, with two top-five and three top-10 finishes and an average finish of 14.6.

The Miccosukee tribe has sponsored Finch and by association Busch when he drove in previous years for owner Billy Ballew before stepping out on his own this season. The tribe had sponsorship across all three of NASCAR's national tours through its gaming and resort property in South Florida.

"Everything that I know of is just from my information through Finch, who was the coordinator of all that -- he was kind of the cornerstone," Busch said. "It was Finch's deal and he was just very supportive of me and Billy [Ballew] and he helped us out.

"When I decided to do my own deal, Finch wanted to be a part of it and wanted to help out, so he stuck with me and said we'd keep doing it. And then we got the word that Miccosukee might not come back and we were all worried about it -- but it was too late, because I had already jumped both feet-first in [to doing his team].

"All I really know is what's been out there, that Billy Cypress, the previous chief, was excited about racing -- he loved racing and wanted to do it. And when the new guy came in, he won the election apparently due to doing all this new, saving money campaign and saving this and saving that for the Indians and stuff.

"So he got voted in and the first order of business was to cut all expenses on stuff, and the NASCAR program was one of them."

Finch's Phoenix Racing general manager Steve Barkdoll said their Cup team had a season-long engine deal with Hendrick Engines and would therefore attempt every race, though some of them might be "start-and-tests," Barkdoll said. He said Phoenix's full-season Nationwide program for James Buescher would continue.

Kyle Busch Motorsports is also fielding a No. 56 Toyota for second-year Truck driver Tayler Malsam, which has sponsorship from Talking Rain for an "undetermined number of races," Busch said when the team was announced.

In addition, Busch had said he hoped to acquire sponsorship to field a third truck for 2008 Truck Series champion Johnny Benson, who in the meantime has taken a ride for Daytona with Team Gill Racing.

Busch said Benson would race his Late Model car later this summer. - by dave rodman - www.nascar.com

By ANTHONY ANDRO / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Next Sunday's Daytona 500 is likely to begin an exercise in futility for 42 Sprint Cup teams.

Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet team show no signs of slowing down.

Just don't tell Johnson he's the guy to beat.

"I'm entering this year saying, 'We're going to get beat,' in my mind," said Johnson, winner of four straight titles and two shy of the all-time total shared by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. "That way I work as hard as I can, the team works as hard as they can. We don't leave a stone unturned."

Johnson won't have it easy. Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch are among the drivers looking to knock him off his throne.

Samsung Mobile 500: Kyle Busch

He dominated at the track in November, just missing out on winning all three races.

Lone Star 500: Jimmie Johnson

Last fall's awful crash at TMS briefly gave life to the Chase. Johnson and his team won't soon forget those struggles.

Four-time champ Jimmie Johnson has vanquished every foe that has come his way the last four years. So who would Johnson like to face in his dream Chase? "It would be cool to rewind things and see what it was like," Johnson said. Here's who Johnson said he would like to face in an all-time Chase if he had the chance.

Dale Earnhardt Sr.: The Intimidator died before the Chase format started.

Parnelli Jones:The 1963 Indy 500 champ won four NASCAR races.

Cale Yarborough: He was a hero of Johnson's growing up.

Bobby Allison:NASCAR great was the 1983 series champ.

Mario Andretti:His versatility – winning in Indy cars, NASCAR and Formula One – is something Johnson admires.

1. Jimmie Johnson: The only way he doesn't make it five straight is if he's not in Chase.

2. Tony Stewart: Having Hendrick Motorsports engines helps. So does having Stewart behind the wheel.

3. Jeff Gordon: It looks like Johnson will get to title No. 5 before Gordon.

4. Kyle Busch: He didn't make the Chase last year, but he has a new contract and lots of talent.

5. Kurt Busch: He seemed to settle into a groove driving the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. His consistency (21 top-10s last year) makes him a threat.

6. Mark Martin: Nearly everything went right and he still didn't win last year. A dropoff could be expected.

7. Carl Edwards: If the Roush Fenway guys find their groove, he could move up. But he was winless last year.

8. Denny Hamlin: His year has already gotten off to a rough start with a torn ACL.

9. Brian Vickers: Last year was about making the Chase. This year it's about making an impact.

10. Greg Biffle: His consistency should be enough to get a second Roush Fenway car in the Chase.

11. Juan Pablo Montoya: It will be interesting to see how the Colombian follows up last year's breakthrough performance.

12. Jeff Burton: Someone has to step up for RCR, and the veteran seems like the best bet.

Give NASCAR credit for paying attention. Attendance and a drop in ratings led NASCAR to make some changes for 2010. Here are a few:

Uniform start times:Most races start at noon Central time, with the exception of the 2 p.m. starts at Texas Motor Speedway.

Bump-drafting is back: Banned last year at Talladega, it is OK again to give cars a little nudge.

Getting spoiled: NASCAR tested spoilers at TMS last month, and they could be back on the cars in time for the Samsumg Mobile 500 in April.

Decrease in purses: Fans are feeling it in the wallet, and NASCAR has decreased purses by an average of 10 percent in the three top series. The hope is that the tracks can pass the savings on to fans.

Can anyone stop Jimmie Johnson?The short answer is no. It's not like Johnson backed into his record fourth consecutive title last year. Other drivers have to hope that Johnson and the rest of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet crew forget to win Chase races. Or better yet, can he catch the disease known as Junioritis?

How will the economy affect NASCAR? Also a question last year and, unfortunately, it is still relevant. Tracks, including Texas Motor Speedway, have done all they can to try to lure fans back with ticket deals. Teams are still cutting back. Every race last year had a full field. Will that continue?

How will Danica Patrick hold up? We won't see her on Sundays, but the 12 or 13 tracks that she'll race at in the Nationwide Series are certainly glad she's showing up. Attendance will be up for those races, and it will be interesting to see how Patrick reacts to the having the spotlight squarely on her. The media attention she drew in the IndyCar Series is nothing like what she'll face in NASCAR.

Can Roush Fenway rebound?Last year got off to a banner start for the team, with Matt Kenseth winning the first two races. But only Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle ended up making the Chase, and they weren't title threats. The team ended up with just three race wins, and it will have four drivers this year instead of five.

What about RCR Racing?Richard Childress Racing group was downright awful in 2009. Mr. Reliable Jeff Burton was not in the Chase. Neither was Clint Bowyer or Kevin Harvick. They combined for zero victories. The good news is they showed signs of life late.

A thinking man's racer, the articulate Vickers helped Red Bull break through with its first ever Chase appearance in 2009. He's hoping the experience they gained with their Chase flop will make the team stronger in 2010.

Where is the bottom for Junior Nation? A crew chief change last year didn't help: Earnhardt ended up 25th in the standings. He closed the season with 12 consecutive finishes outside the top 10, so momentum won't be on his side at Daytona.

Jamie McMurray:The personable McMurray, who won a Chase race last year, is no longer with Roush Fenway. He's now driving the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops ride which was vacated by .....

Martin Truex Jr.: Truex bolted Earnhardt Ganassi for Michael Waltrip Racing, where he now pilots the No. 56 NAPA Toyota. Waltrip will run a limited schedule.

Brad Keselowski:After winning at Talladega last year in a part-time ride, the exciting Keselowski has a full-time job with Penske Racing, where he'll drive the No. 12 Verizon Dodge.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Joe Nemechek and Bill Elliott know what it's like to miss the Daytona 500, so it was no surprise how happy they were on Saturday after making the field for next Sunday's Great American Race.

Elliott, Nemechek and Scott Speed were the three fastest drivers not already guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday's qualifying, and thus they will take the green flag Feb. 14 at Daytona International Speedway.

With 35 drivers locked in based on 2009 owner points, the 43-car field is filled by two spots from each of the two 150-mile qualifying races next Thursday and then three spots from the time trials, with a final spot available to a past champion or the next fastest on speed.

Bobby Labonte can use a past champion's provisional, if needed. That meant that three drivers could breathe easier after qualifying on Saturday. Elliott, and Nemechek were fast enough that if they don't run well Thursday in the qualifying races, they can rely on their time-trial speeds for spots in the 500.

Elliott, who was fourth-fastest at 190.573 mph, wasn't much of a surprise. He did the same thing a year ago after missing the 2008 race.

"It's still always nerve-wracking because when you roll in here it's one thing, but once you do everything you've got to do [through inspection] and then you leave pit road on your qualifying run, it's a whole different world," Elliott said. "Two years ago there's no comparison [in this program]. Last year, [crew chief David] Hyder started turning things around about this time and I feel like last season was a tribute to the Wood Brothers and the way their team should be."

Speed, who qualified 13th out of 54 drivers, said that knowing he is in the race will allow him to be less conservative on Thursday than he would be if he had to try to race his way into the Daytona 500 field.

He said he wasn't too nervous for his qualifying lap, especially compared to his crew chief Jimmy Elledge.

"Jimmy Elledge and my guys were a lot more nervous than me," Speed said. "This is one of the only qualifyings of the year where a lot of the weight is off my shoulders. It's a chance for the guys to show what they can do."

Nemechek, who qualified 16th, was nervous, in part, because he owns his car. He is trying to run both the Nationwide and Cup series this year in his own equipment.

"It's definitely huge," Nemechek said. "To come down here and be so close and to miss it by a few thousandths [from time trials last year] was really disheartening. To come back and make it and be locked in the week before the 500 means a lot." - sporting news wire service