Notebook: Pruett coulda, shoulda been faster
Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Scott Pruett might have surprised
many by posting the ninth-fastest speed in qualifying Saturday for
the Daytona 500.
But the 40-year-old driver -- the fastest of the rookie qualifiers -- thought he should have been among the top 10. So he wouldn't take credit for his trip around Daytona International Speedway at 189.470 mph.
Ricky Rudd climbs out of his No. 28 Ford, which he put on the front row Saturday.
"From a qualifying standpoint, it's not the driver," he said of his run on the 2½-mile superspeedway where maximum acceleration is used all the way around. "It's the engine. It's the car. We're just out there pushing it down."
In fact, Pruett felt his Ford could have gone faster.
"We got greedy," he said. "I thought we could have won the pole."
How did he learn so quickly?
"We just watched some of the guys, and tried to do the same thing," Pruett said.
Pruett, a longtime competitor in the CART series, was one of six rookies to qualify among the top 30. Dave Blaney was 10th, Stacy Compton 13th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 22nd, Mike Bliss 25th and Matt Kenseth 28th.
A Ray of hope
Indy Racing League champion Greg Ray has no illusions about the outcome of the opening race of the IROC series. In fact, it won't be so bad if he goes unnoticed Friday in the all-star event matching identically prepared stock cars.
"I look at myself as a sheep running with the wolves," Ray
said, alluding to the makeup of the NASCAR-dominated field of 12.
"If they came over and drove our cars, I'd probably feel more
comfortable."
All but Ray and fellow IRL drivers Mark Dismore and Eddie
Cheever are from NASCAR. Three of the four races in the annual series -- including the opener at Daytona International Speedway -- are on tracks where the IRL does not run.
Ray, interested in moving to NASCAR should the right deal
materialize in the future, is out to gain respect from defending
IROC champion Dale Earnhardt and the other stock car aces of the
high-banked superspeedways.
"It's not so much learning what to do," Ray said. "It's
learning what not to do."
Sacks' goal? Make the show
Greg Sacks, an occasional competitor on the
Winston Cup circuit over the last 17 years, got his only career
victory at Daytona International Speedway in the July 1985 race.
As he prepares for one of two qualifying races Thursday, Sacks
isn't thinking about winning. His key number is 15. Because he has
no ownership points from last season and a slow qualifying speed,
Sacks will have to race his way into the season-opening Daytona 500
on Feb. 20 by finishing 15th or better in his 125-mile qualifying
race.
"I can just about guarantee you that everybody's goal is that
15th spot," said Sacks, who was 51st among 57 drivers Saturday in
qualifying. "Trying to win is fun. Trying to finish 15th is
agonizing."
Robinson's ride
Because she was so patient -- too patient, she says -- Shawna Robinson came up a few car-lengths short of being the first woman to win a stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. That was even more impressive because the 1999 ARCA event marked the return of the 35-year-old Iowan from a four-year hiatus into motherhood.
Robinson, who now has two children, plans to be a little less
patient Sunday in the Pro2Call 200.
"It's a short race, and you have to be aggressive from the
start," she said. "I can't wait so long to be comfortable."
Robinson started fifth a year ago and tried to make a big move
near the end. It might have been too late. She drove up to the rear
bumper of Bobby Gerhart, but he held her off over the final few
laps of the race.
No Bull Five
Melissa Brown of Pittsburgh, one of five fans whose names were drawn as part of NASCAR series sponsor Winston's promotion, will win $1 million if polesitter Dale Jarrett takes the Daytona 500 next Sunday. Jarrett, the defending series champion and a two-time winner of the race, also would get a $1 million bonus.
Four other drivers -- who finished in the top five in the final
"No Bull" event last season -- and an equal number of fans drawn
at random also are eligible. John Williams of Las Vegas rides with
Ricky Rudd; Lorraine Scheurle of Cliffside Park, N.J., with Ward
Burton; Marcus Pohlmann of West Jefferson, Ohio, with Dale
Earnhardt, and Betty Blackmon of Dillon, S.C., with Kenny Wallace.
