Sacks will now be a part owner of a Nextel Cup Series team. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
July 2, 2004
3:44 PM EDT (1944 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR veteran Greg Sacks chose the site of his biggest stock car victory to announce a new Nextel Cup Series team that will be based near Daytona International Speedway.
Sacks, a New York native who won the 1985 Pepsi 400 at Daytona in a research and development DiGard Racing car with a pick-up crew, unveiled Daytona Speed, Inc., and its No. 13 ARC Dehooker/Vita Coco Dodge.
Sacks said the car, with which he plans to make 10 starts in the second half of the season, beginning next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway; is from Ray Evernham Motorsports and will use Mike Ege engines.
"I live here, in Port Orange and I plan to be heavily involved in this operation," Sacks said. "By being here we hope to build a loyal group of guys that don't just roll their tool box out of the shop and down the road to another job."
Sacks' co-owners include local businessman Ed Raabe and a fellow New Yorker, Jamie Wilsberg -- who fielded a NASCAR Modified car for Sacks in the early 1980s that won 28 of 38 starts in the Northeast in 1982.
The team hopes to run a second, No. 73 Dodge in at least two races later this season, possibly with a young driver in cooperation with Dodge, which is offering some support.
Sacks said both teams hope to run full season programs in 2005.
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| Waltrip qualified second for Saturday's Pepsi 400. Credit: Autostock |
So said Michael Waltrip after the "Bowtie Brigade" took seven of the top 10 spots in Bud Pole Qualifying on Thursday night for Saturday's Pepsi 400.
"If you notice, Chevrolets have won nine races this year and no one else has won more than four," Waltrip said, missing the fact that Ford has five wins. "When the rules were made to where everyone was the same, I think this just proves that Chevrolet has the best teams, gives the best technical support and helps us the best.
"I grew up with a family that drove Chevies and I always wanted to race Chevies and I think at this point you can't argue with that: Chevrolet has won the most races -- I haven't won yet -- but week in and week out Chevrolets are the cars to beat."
This season, Ricky Rudd has only two top-10 starts in Wood Brothers Racing's No. 21 Fords, but both of them have come on restrictor plate tracks -- Talladega Superspeedway in April (Bud Pole) and Daytona on Thursday night (third).
In addition, Rudd posted the fourth best qualifying speed for the season opening Daytona 500.
"I'm a little disappointed we didn't get the pole, but heck, with the way our season has gone so far this is the next best thing," said Rudd, who ran same car he used at Talladega. "Ben Leslie (crew chief) is really smart on these restrictor-plate engines and that new Roush-Yates motor combination, you can't go too wrong when you have that motor under the hood."
After he won the Busch Pole Award on Thursday night for Friday evening's Winn-Dixie 250 NASCAR Busch Series race, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Mike Bliss said as far as he knew, the possibility that JGR's Cup driver Tony Stewart might get suspended from the Pepsi 400 never entered the organization's mind as a possibility.
At least, Bliss said, they never talked to him about possibly driving Stewart's Home Depot Chevrolet this weekend. JGR fielded a Cup car for Bliss at Daytona last summer, which failed to qualify.
"I didn't even know what was going on, to be honest, with Tony's stuff," Bliss said. "I don't really pay attention and you don't know what Tony's doing, day to day, anyway.
"There was never any discussion (about replacing Stewart)."
For the second time this season, Kerry Earnhardt will line up with his half-brother Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a Nextel Cup race. At the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway in April, the elder Earnhardt was running well when he was taken out in an accident started by Dale Jr.'s teammate, Michael Waltrip.
Kerry qualified a solid 21st Thursday night while his younger brother was fifth.
"My friends at RCR (Richard Childress Racing) helped me pick up speed for qualifying," said Kerry Earnhardt, who was only 33rd quickest in pre-qualifying practice. "I don't know how they do it.
"It scared me out there (because) it wasn't running that fast before (and) it just got a little loose in the corners."
Car owner Childress, who has made a commitment this season to a handful of races for Kerry, was thrilled with the run after a DNQ at Michigan.
"We're really happy for Kerry," Childress said. "He did such a great job at Talladega that we're really excited about having him here.
"We're off with our restrictor-plate program right now at RCR (but) Kerry went and tested and I think he helped us all a little, there. We're looking forward to getting to Talladega and having some more stuff when we get down there."
John Andretti was thrilled to put a third Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Chevrolet in the Pepsi 400 field in 18th, behind teammates Michael Waltrip (second) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fifth).
Andretti will make only his fourth start this season Saturday night, but he scored his first career Cup victory in this event in 1997.
"No, there was no rust on the driver," Andretti said. "To come out and steal some thunder when we're not here every week, would be incredible.
"The only disappointing thing is we spent so much time in the inspection garage (that) we didn't get the oil temperature hot enough (and) that hurt our speed. We didn't qualify near as good as we should have."
DEI director of motorsports Richie Gilmore said last month that the organization hopes to field a car in the rest of the races this season for Andretti, beginning at Indianapolis next month.
"I've been real busy (and) things are coming together," Andretti said. "I feel real good about where we're heading (but) it's just so touch-and-go."
 | Pepsi 400 |  | Gordon motors to his third straight Bud Pole Award
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|  | Junior is pleased with his fifth-place qualifying run
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When Jeff Gordon won the Bud Pole for the Pepsi 400 in his No. 24 DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet, he defeated eight cars sponsored by Coca-Cola's new C2 brand.
The only Coke cars in the top 10 were Ricky Rudd's No. 21 C2/Motorcraft Ford in third and Greg Biffle's No. 16 C2/National Guard Ford in ninth.
"Pepsi gives so much support to this team and they're so excited about the promotion they're doing this weekend, it's nice to chalk one up in the Cola War that's going on this weekend," Gordon said. "They put a lot of pressure on us and what, it's one against nine (eight, actually) out there."
When Ashton Lewis qualified 15th for the Winn-Dixie 250, Jeff Spraker was bumped out of the field due to entrant John McNelly not having enough owner points to earn a provisional spot.
But when Lewis' qualifying time was disallowed due to the left-rear quarter panel of his No. 46 Chevrolet being too low, Lewis took the first provisional to start 39th, Spraker's No. 56 Chevrolet was back in the field in 38th and Mike Harmon's No. 24 GIC/Mixon Motorsports Chevrolet was bumped.
Richard Petty said the legendary -- and tempestuous -- A.J. Foyt, who in his career won major races in stock cars, Indy cars and sports cars along with multitudes of short track victories in open wheel and stock cars; would have a hard time in the sport today.
The comparison between Foyt and his modern day alter ego, 2002 NASCAR Cup champion Tony Stewart, was raised after NASCAR penalized Stewart this week for a physical confrontation with rookie Brian Vickers last weekend at Infineon Raceway.
"It was a different society at that time," Petty said of A.J.'s era, in the 1960s and 1970s. "If Tony came through with A.J. and grew up with us, then he would have been right at home.
"A.J. would not be accepted today like he was no matter how good he was or anything like that. Society has changed.
"Environments have changed, so people look at things different than what they used to, whether that's good, bad or indifferent."
"King Richard" paused to reflect Thursday on the 20th anniversary of the 200th NASCAR Cup victory of his career, which came in the July 4, 1984 Pepsi Firecracker 400 at DIS, in front of sitting U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
"I look back on my career and the races I won or could have won that would put the 200th at a different time," said Petty, who celebrates his 67th birthday on Friday. "If we had won one the week before or the month before or the year before -- then that would have been the 200th.
"The way fate had it, that was going to be the 200th win. The President was here, it was July 4th (with) all the hullabaloo and all that stuff. It was really unreal. Looking at your career and the whole deal, that was the pinnacle of my career.
"Winning 200 anywhere would have been great, but doing it under those circumstances and beating Cale (Yarborough), who I had been racing with for years, it was all in one day and it was fantastic (and) basically it still is."
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