Track Smack: Daytona (cont'd)

David Caraviello: And to be honest, can't the perception of a rule differ from one person to the next? Aren't the tolerances so minimal that you're going to have guys get busted who think they're in the clear?

Ryan Smithson: Waltrip will probably get sent home anyway. This isn't that big of a deal.

David Caraviello: That's not to say guys aren't trying to "gain that edge." They always have. But you've got to think it's mighty easy to be off one-eighth of an inch somewhere.

Joe Menzer: I guess this is a case where size truly does matter.

Is anyone convinced that Robert Yates Racing is enjoying a full-fledged comeback?

Joe Menzer: Well, on the surface, with two of their guys sitting on the front row for the Daytona 500, the quick answer would be to say yes. But it's not that simple.

Ryan Smithson: No, no and no. Look, why is everyone so shocked that Gilliland is on the pole? He won the freaking pole at Talladega last year, too. RYR is always good at plate tracks -- hell, Jarrett's only win in the last four years was at one.

David Caraviello: Not quite. That team had the ability to run fast qualifying laps and win poles even when they were at their lowest.

Ryan Smithson: Let's get excited only when Gilliland and Rudd qualify 1-2 at Fontana, because they won't.

David Caraviello: That said, winning the pole for the 500 is a great PR boost, especially for a team like Yates that needs it.

Joe Menzer: They're still a great feel-good story. RYR came close to closing up shop after last season.

Ryan Smithson: Not closing, Joe, but selling. Big difference.

Joe Menzer: Not that big of a difference, when you consider that Robert Yates would basically be building and selling motors and nothing else. It would have been the end of an era.

David Caraviello: They're the big story now in Daytona until the Twins. Gilliland is a good story. There's no harm there, Ryan. You'll get your share of schadenfrude during the race. Did Robert Yates run you off the road somewhere?

Ryan Smithson: Yes, in Statesville, on his Harley. Don Tilley made him do it.

Joe Menzer: That explains the animosity.

David Caraviello: Of bigger concern is James Hylton's qualifying speed, which was second-lowest among the non-cheaters.

Ryan Smithson: Look guys, there is no animosity. But seriously, this is Daytona. My grandmother could qualify that car.

Joe Menzer: But James Hylton apparently couldn't. Well, he was running an old RCR, not RYR, car. But he had good equipment.

David Caraviello: And I've seen Ryan's grandmother drive. She's a hot shoe.

Joe Menzer: That doesn't mean she can't drive fast and turn left.

Ryan Smithson: Her name is Lucille. Seriously.

Joe Menzer: Rudd did say during the media tour that Gilliland is "as talented a young driver" as he's seen in a long time. He might be the real deal.

Ryan Smithson: Gilliland isn't that young. He is 30 with two kids. Two ridiculously cute kids. They are a great family on that new ESPN show. I don't think Ricky Rudd has ever won a plate race. I know he hasn't won at Daytona, trying to remember if he has won at 'Dega.

David Caraviello: Hey, nothing wrong with letting the underdogs have their moment. Even if it is fleeting. That's one of the nice things about Speedweeks, the storylines change with each event. (Continued)