Though he competed in the 2004 Budweiser Shootout, Boris Said is attempting his first Daytona 500 this year. Credit: Autostock

MB trio makes strong showing in qualifying

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sure, Robert Yates Racing won the Daytona 500 pole. And Hendrick Motorsports took the second and third spots in Sunday's qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.

But if you want to look at who had the best overall showing as a team, take a glance at MB2/MBV/MB Sutton Motorsports.

Joe Nemechek qualified fifth, with Scott Riggs sixth and Boris Said 11th. And all three cars were all within a tenth of a second of one another. Not bad for a team that isn't considered to be among the elite in Nextel Cup.

	Joe Nemechek Credit: Autostock
	MB Motorsports Daytona 500 Qualifying Pos. Driver Speed 5 J. Nemechek 187.837 6 S. Riggs 187.758 11 B. Said 187.122

Clearly, though, general manager Jay Frye and crew chiefs Ryan Pemberton (Nemechek), Doug Randolph (Riggs) and Frank Stoddard (Said) have figured this restrictor-plate deal out.

"This is about as close as you can build," Nemechek said. "I think we have eight speedway cars, and they all run just about identically. That's a pretty good feat for those guys back at the shop."

Nemechek was the fastest at 187.837, with Riggs only .02 seconds behind at 187.758. Said wasn't too far off, either, turning a lap of 187.122 that was .163 seconds slower than Riggs.

Said's lap was crucial, for it ensures him a spot in Sunday's Daytona 500. The top 35 cars based on owners' points from 2004 are locked into the 500, with four more coming from non-top 35 cars in the Gatorade Duel qualifying races and four more coming from the four-fastest remaining cars.

Said was the second-fastest behind Jason Leffler among non top-35 cars.

"I can't thank Rick Hendrick enough," Said said. "Those Hendrick motors are unbelievable. I've got a great team and a great crew chief."

Nemechek and Riggs echoed Said's sentiments, giving the credit to their fast qualifying speeds to 90 team members who build and maintain the Chevrolets in their Concord, N.C. shop.

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"The team did a great job," Riggs said. "Everybody back at the shop keeps building great racecars. Our downforce stuff is even better, and of course our speedway program is getting better and better."

MB2 was solid in plate races in 2004, especially during qualifying. Nemechek won the pole at the second Talladega race last year and never started lower than 14th. Riggs started the Daytona 500 in 36th, but was fourth, fifth and seventh in the other plate races.

The finishes can be better, as Nemechek's sixth in the Daytona 500 was the best. And they know it.

"Here at Daytona, this is going to turn into a handling race," Nemechek said. "You're going to have to have a little bit of luck -- a lot of luck -- and a good driving racecar. If you can do that at the end of the day, hopefully, we'll be the guys up front."

Riggs said his No. 10 car should be good in race conditions, too.

"It's good to have a good car and be close to the front," Riggs said. "But the good thing about this car is that it runs so well. And they've worked so hard to make them go fast, and they drive so well. It's exciting for me."

All three drivers seem to be having fun so far in Speedweeks, mixing their divergent personalities well.

"It's good to have teammates lie Boris Said and Joe Nemechek so you can play with and have a good time with," Riggs said. "Boris is someone who can lighten up the whole scene. And then you've got Joe who you can always go to. He's got a ton of experience and can just shoot from the hip."

"Joe Nemechek has helped me out a lot," Said said. "It's just a team effort. I'm just a small piece of it. We're having a blast in Speedweeks."