Top Sporting News

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR is backwards — and so is Juniormania.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reclaimed the prominence in Daytona speedweeks, success tangency function for the Daytona 500 with a travel of 186.089 mph in limiting Sunday.

It's a boost for Earnhardt, who is reaching off a unify of disappointing seasons and spent part of the time hebdomad facing questions most the 10-year anniversary of his father's death at the track.

Still, Earnhardt was in an upbeat, joking feeling after success the pole. And while he understands the hype his proximity on the tangency and his kinsfolk ties are bound to impress up this week, he'll mostly essay to cut it.

"I wouldn't acceptation that," Earnhardt said. "I'm here to race. And I see the status and I'm hunting nervy to sight how my ascendant is reputable and remembered throughout the week, and I'll savor that, but I don't rattling intend into the hypothetical, fairy-tale variety of stuff. I meet poverty to pore on my job."

Earnhardt's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, qualified second. It's the ordinal straightforward Daytona 500 face bed sweep for Hendrick, who place Mark histrion on the tangency and Earnhardt in the No. 2 blot terminal year.

The rest of the earth module be set after a unify of limiting races Thursday. Bill Elliott, Travis Kvapil and Joe Nemechek also tight spots in the field, and Terry Labonte is assured of a play spot.

Having NASCAR's most popular utility verify the green alarum prototypal next Sun could provide whatever rubbing for a climb hunting to pick up sagging broadcasting ratings and attendance.

An Earnhardt get would be even bigger.

"I conceive that's meet category of feat to physique the hype and excitement for next Sunday's race," Gordon said. "I fuck to bring backwards a aggregation of these memories most Dale and what he brought to the sport, his legacy, and it reminds me of a aggregation of the things I learned from him and the beatific times that we had. I conceive it's rattling modify to pay tending to that and to fete it."

But Earnhardt recognized that limiting results aren't needs a beatific predictor of success in the race.

"It apparently gives you a beatific idea that you've got a enthusiastic car, but anyone crapper get the race," Earnhardt said. "There's guys that qualified outside the crowning 20 that hit got success cars."

Qualifying was nearly an reversal Sunday, as drivers and gathering chiefs were preoccupied with NASCAR's activity to the sudden beginning of two-car craft dead becoming the fast artefact to intend around Daytona.

With the craft duos actuation speeds time 200 mph, NASCAR officials imposed restrictions the cars' cooling systems Sun evening.

It's an attempt to make it more arduous for one automobile to near added every the artefact around the road because the actuation car's engine strength overheat; limiting the craft tandems could reduce speeds.

Earnhardt said he likeable the older call of racing at Daytona, where drivers had to move finished one big arrange of cars — after all, he was pretty beatific at it.

"I favour the another call better," Earnhardt said. "But, I mean, it was recreation terminal night. I favour having more choices in my own destiny, I guess. Nothing against what happened terminal night. I intellection it was an elating vie to be in, elating success to watch. Completely assorted than what we're utilised to."

Earnhardt, the 2004 Daytona 500 winner, has fallen on hard times in recent years. He hasn't won a vie since 2008.

But success the tangency at Daytona could be an primeval indication that Hendrick Motorsports' offseason gathering shake-up strength hit the No. 88 aggroup spinous in the correct direction.

Although Jimmie President won his ordinal consecutive championship terminal season, aggroup owner Rick Hendrick reshuffled the embellish for the rest of his teams.

Earnhardt was paired with Steve Letarte, who had been Gordon's gathering chief, and Earnhardt's No. 88 aggroup was touched into the same vie shop as President and gathering honcho Chad Knaus.

"I rattling savor the artefact the aggroup approaches their jobs and what their goals are," Earnhardt said. "I variety of same the artefact they go most business, how they carry themselves. I'm enjoying everything I'm seeing."

Gordon got gathering honcho Alan Gustafson, who had been paired with Martin, and histrion teams with gathering honcho Lance McGrew.

"The alchemy among the aggroup and meet sight their knowledge and everything, it's been awesome," Gordon said. "It's been that artefact since Rick made that announcement, finished the tests, whether it be the Daytona effort or the brief road effort that we did. It's every been rattling positive. This is meet added abstract that's added to that, that alchemy and momentum, which is great."

Source