Waltrip’s qualification (ten years from the date when he won the Daytona 500 driving for Dale Earnhardt who died in that race as a result of last lap crash) was an emotional one.
Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., won the pole in qualifying on Sunday, but, will start at the back of the 43-car field because he will race a back-up car because his primary car was withdrawn due to a crash in practice on Wednesday. Technically he is still credited with the pole.
After the qualifying races most drivers agreed the style of racing at Daytona has changed drastically due to the repaving of the 2.5-mile high-banked oval.
Where cars used to draft, (follow in close proximity) the 3,450 pound stock cars now draft in contact, bumper-to-bumper, around the 2.5 mile Speedway.
On Saturday night, while driving bumper-to-bumper, with another driver, Waltrip ripped off an eye-popping lap of 206mph miles an hour which made NASCAR issue new technical rules to slow down the race cars.
Busch told reporters “this is a new era and right now I'm still learning about the draft.”
Bill Elliott also a winner here, talking about the new draft said, “this is the craziest thing. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Just like a bunch of kids playing leapfrog, the groups, but they were doing it in pairs.”
Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., won the pole in qualifying on Sunday, but, will start at the back of the 43-car field because he will race a back-up car because his primary car was withdrawn due to a crash in practice on Wednesday. Technically he is still credited with the pole.
After the qualifying races most drivers agreed the style of racing at Daytona has changed drastically due to the repaving of the 2.5-mile high-banked oval.
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| Photo: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR |
Where cars used to draft, (follow in close proximity) the 3,450 pound stock cars now draft in contact, bumper-to-bumper, around the 2.5 mile Speedway.
On Saturday night, while driving bumper-to-bumper, with another driver, Waltrip ripped off an eye-popping lap of 206mph miles an hour which made NASCAR issue new technical rules to slow down the race cars.
Busch told reporters “this is a new era and right now I'm still learning about the draft.”
Bill Elliott also a winner here, talking about the new draft said, “this is the craziest thing. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Just like a bunch of kids playing leapfrog, the groups, but they were doing it in pairs.”