Waltrip's effort embodies upheaval of Gatorade Duel (cont'd)

Waltrip embodied that strange dynamic, his 6-5 height one lanky testament to how draining and trying and ultimately forgiving this day can be. Nothing, it seemed, could match the emotion of 2007, when Waltrip's team was saddled with a huge penalty for an illegal fuel additive found in his race car, had his qualifying time disallowed, and had to race his way in. He did it, and the strain of that effort was evident in his face. Now, potentially, his Daytona career was on the line. Here was one last Sprint Cup start at the track that has come to define him, for reasons both good and bad. And it all came down to a flaky former open-wheeler best known for the color of his toenails.

But Speed lived up to his last name, overtaking Casey Mears with less than two laps to go in the second qualifier to claim the final transfer spot and throw Waltrip the life raft he so desperately needed. Only Thursday at Daytona is the focus on the race for 14th when Kahne and Tony Stewart are dueling within a splitter's width of one another at the front. Waltrip watched it unfold from a television set, on camera, releasing a notable sign of relief and offering a tired fist bump after his spot in the Daytona 500 had at last been secured.

"I figured when I woke up this morning I'd be crying before the day was over. I just didn't know if it would be because I was happy or because I was sad. And then I damn sure didn't know it would be both within an hour of each other," Waltrip said.

"It was crazy. There were four cars there. Two of 'em were good guys, and two of 'em were bad guys. To try to remain calm and watch that was as hard as anything I've ever done. To watch it work out right, it was better than hitting the lottery. I mean, it's almost like hitting the lottery, because there's money involved, but it's better than hitting the lottery because of all the other reasons in the world."

Speed, who like Waltrip drives a Toyota, seemed happy to help. "Michael, he's a big teddy bear," the former Formula One driver said. "Anyways, we're friends. I'm glad I was able to get him in that race. I think the big man back there deserves it."

Would Sunday be Waltrip's final Daytona 500? Maybe, maybe not. There were no such pronouncements. But Thursday had clearly taken a toll.

"I need to just become a car owner, because this was hard today," Waltrip said. "I've got to prove to myself on Sunday in the 500, or at Talladega where I know I'm going to run, that I can, indeed, make the moves to win these races. I didn't do anything today to impress myself, and that's disappointing."

But at least he's in the race. Over in the garage area, crewmen lowered a backup car from the upper storage area of the team hauler. Waltrip smiled and exited a room full of reporters, most of whom had hung on his every word. He's going to start 43rd. But on Thursday afternoon at Daytona, that's good enough.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.