Daytona qualifying gets overhauled before Duel

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- As NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing came to a close Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, Nextel Cup director John Darby outlined the changes to be used to determine the starting lineup for both the Daytona 500 and the Gatorade Duel qualifying races next month.

Some things, however, remained the same:

• The front row of the Daytona 500 will be locked after qualifying.

• The starting positions of the 500 will be determined by the finishing spots of the qualifying races, regardless of position in the points.

As part of an overall change in the qualifying procedure, the top 35 in owners' points are assured a spot in each Nextel Cup race. For the Daytona 500, the top 35 will be based on last year's owners' points.

	John Darby
	NASCAR ACCELERATION •   Know Your NASCAR •   Tickets for Daytona •   2004 Daytona 500 highlights •   Get TrackPass for 2005!

Gatorade Duel placement

Those top 35 in owners' will be split into two groups for the Gatorade Duel qualifying races, known as the "Twins" to many inside the Nextel Cup garage because that's what they were called for many years.

The odd-finishing points positions (first, third, fifth, etc.) will race in the first qualifying race, with the evens (second, fourth, sixth, etc.) in the second. The exact starting spots will be based on qualifying from the previous Sunday.

For example, if Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn't win the 500 pole but qualifies ahead of Jeff Gordon, he'll start ahead of Gordon in the first twin, even though Gordon (third) was higher than Earnhardt Jr. (fifth) in owners' points.

The lone exception is if a top 35 car qualifies on the front row for the 500. The pole winner would start first in the first Duel, while the second-place starter would start first in the second Duel.

The remainder of the Gatorade Duel lineups will be determined by qualifying. The fastest of the non-top 35 cars will start in the first qualifying race, with second-fastest going in the second, and so on.

For example, if Morgan Shepherd qualifies 16th overall for the 500 but fifth among non-top 35 drivers, he would start in the first ("odd") Duel.

Gatorade Duel finishes

The finishing positions of each Gatorade Duel race, as always, determine the starting positions of the Daytona 500. The top 35 in owners' points are assured of a spot in the 500, but the exact position will be determined by the Duel races.

For a non-top 35 driver to race in to the 500 field through the Duel, he or she would have to finish first or second among the non-top 35 cars. For example, if Shepherd finishes 18th in the Duel but first among non-top 35 cars, he's in the 500.

Since the top 35 cars in points are assured placement in the 500, those drivers are essentially racing to determine their exact starting spot.

The top 35 cars must make a qualifying attempt and compete in the Gatorade Duel to be eligible to start the 500, Darby said.

Daytona 500 placement

The 43 starting spots for the 500 are assigned to the top 35 in owners' points, the two highest-finishing non-top 35 cars from each Duel and three or four of the fastest qualifiers who remain.

The 43rd spot is reserved to an eligible past series champion, but Darby said Thursday only Bill Elliott or Terry Labonte are currently in line for that position, and neither is likely to enter the 500.

That means eight non top-35 cars should make the 500 field, four through the Duel races and four through qualifying.

Daytona 500 lineup

Once the Gatorade Duel is complete, the Daytona 500 field will be lined up by the two front-row spots, with the next 33, 34 or 35 positions -- depending on whether one, two or no top 35 cars qualify on the front row -- set by Duel finishes and four non-top 35 cars by qualifying.

For example, should two top 35 cars sweep the front row and Cup champion Kurt Busch finish second behind a non-top 35 car in the Duel, Busch would start the Daytona 500 in fifth -- the inside of the third row.

Complicated? Perhaps. But that's natural.

"One of the dangers of making things too simple is it's trying to confuse us," Darby said.