Dales Go 1-2 In Daytona 500 Qualifying

The “Dale and Dale Show” made another appearance at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday as Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt took the front-row positions for the Feb. 19 Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

They are the same drivers who battled so brilliantly for the Daytona victory two years ago, with Jarrett passing and then holding off Earnhardt to win the race.

That was another in a series of heartbreaking Daytona 500 losses for Earnhardt, the seven-time Winston Cup champion who has not won NASCAR’s premier race.

Jarrett, making his first official appearance in the Robert Yates Racing Ford Thunderbird, lived up to expectations with a lap of 193.494 mph, the fastest Daytona pole since a former Yates driver, the late Davey Allison, won it at 195.955 in 1991. Earnhardt’s fast lap was 193.449.

Earnhardt, who had to wait 2 hours, 45 minutes before taking to the track as the 56th of 57 qualifiers, came within .011 seconds of his first Daytona pole as he earned the outside front-row position for the second straight year.

Sterling Marlin, the defending Daytona winner, was a solid third at 193.349, followed by rookie Robert Pressley - taking the place of retired Harry Gant - at 193.050, Terry Labonte at 192.872 and his younger brother, Bobby Labonte, at 192.550.

NASCAR barred Brett Bodine from qualifying and levied a record $45,000 fine against car owner Junior Johnson after inspectors discovered an illegal engine piece that would have made the car faster. A prequalifying check of Bodine’s Ford Thunderbird found that the insert portion of the intake manifold was simply attached to the engine, not welded as required.

Jack of all tracks

Terry Labonte is expected to contend for his second Winston Cup championship this season following a great comeback year in 1994 during which he won three races and finished seventh in points.

The 1984 champion has won races on short tracks at North Wilkesboro (three), Richmond and Bristol, intermediate tracks at Rockingham (two) Phoenix and Darlington, superspeedways at Pocono and Talladega and the road course at Riverside (two).

Millionaires

Seven Winston Cup drivers earned more than $1 million on the track in 1994, led by series champion Earnhardt. Those big-money winners were scattered throughout the top 20 in the final points, rather than bunched at the top of the standings.

Runner-up Mark Martin and third-place Rusty Wallace were also 1994 millionaires, but next on the list was 22-year-old Jeff Gordon in eighth place. Gordon was helped to his winnings by taking the inaugural Brickyard 400, the richest race in NASCAR history.

Next among the $1 million men was 14th-place Marlin, whose earnings were pumped up by his 1994 Daytona win.