CUP: Four Grateful To Be Locked Into 500 Field

Sprint Cup

CUP: Four Grateful To Be Locked Into 500 Field

Ageless Bill Elliott will race next Sunday in the Daytona 500...

Tom Jensen | Posted February 07, 2010

Bill Elliott can use a past champion’s provisional if he needs one at Michigan. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

In case you missed it, racing broke out again Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, with big stories everywhere, or so it seemed. Here are a few of the key headlines from a jam-packed day at the races:

• Kevin Harvick, who was too sick to even take part in practice on Thursday, found some much-needed strength somewhere and went out and won his second consecutive Budweiser Shootout over Kasey Kahne and last year’s runner-up, Jamie McMurray.

• Mark Martin became the oldest pole-winner in Daytona 500 history, with his garage-mate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., qualifying a stout second to make it an all-Hendrick Motorsports front row for the Super Bowl of stock-car racing.

• And, oh by the way, Danica Patrick looked pretty spectacular in her stock-car debut, with a solid top-10 run in the ARCA race Saturday afternoon.

Lost in the huge news stories of the day, however, was one that was very, very significant for four drivers and the teams they race for: Bill Elliott, Scott Speed, Joe Nemechek and Bobby Labonte all locked themselves into the Daytona 500. The first three are guaranteed to make it on the basis of their respective qualifying speeds, which were tops among the 19 go-or-go-home drivers who set times on Saturday, while Labonte is now locked in via his past champion’s provisional.

Next Thursday’s Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying races will set the final 500 field, with the top two currently non-qualified cars in each Duel advancing to the big race next Sunday.

For the four who made it in during Daytona 500 qualifying on Saturday, the day was sweet indeed, as it guarantees a payday of about $250,000, which is what finishing last in the 500 should be worth. That’s nearly triple what last place pays for any other NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

For a guy like Nemechek, who has run his own NEMCO Motorsports team on a shoestring budget, making the Daytona 500 is a huge accomplishment.

“Really proud of all the guys on this NEMCO Motorsports crew,” said Nemechek, who last year missed the race by .03 seconds. “They have been working hard and trying to do it with very limited finances out of my own pocket. There are a lot of guys out there helping us and I can’t thank everybody enough for what they do.”

For Speed, who ended 2009 outside the top 35 in NASCAR Sprint Cup car owner points and will therefore have to qualify on speed for the first five events of 2010, making it into the Daytona 500 is an excellent way to kick off the new racing year.

“Getting in on speed and not having to race your way in — that’s ideal,” says Speed, who is opening to progress after a disappointing 2009 rookie campaign with Red Bull Racing. “Even if you’re fast, the 150s can go either way. You can get involved in something that’s not even your own fault and not qualify for the Daytona 500. The guys did a lot of good work between practice and here. On Thursday, you’re still running your good car and you don’t want to crash, but you’re certainly going to be able to push it a little more and not be quite as cautious if you’re already in the race — no question.”

Veteran Elliott was the fastest of the non-qualified cars and fourth overall, giving him optimism that his Wood Brothers Racing Ford might legitimately have a shot at winning the Daytona 500, a race he has won twice already, along with victories in two July Daytona races.

“I know from the time Homestead ended last fall to right now, (crew chief) David Hyder and these guys have worked their rear ends off to get down here and do what they need to do,” said Elliott. “They’ve got one of the nicest race cars out here. I’m telling you, this is a gorgeous race car, very well put together, and I’m just proud to race it come Sunday afternoon. … We can kind of decide what we want to do as far as the 150 goes. But the main thing is our sights are set on the Daytona 500.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED, and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com! Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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