Earnhardt Will Attempt To Run A Perfect Daytona

As concerned as Dale Earnhardt is about the first 499 miles of Sunday’s Daytona 500, it’s the last critical mile that fills his thoughts.

“We’ve won the Daytona 499 a bunch of times,” Earnhardt said, the hard look in his eyes belying the grin under his bushy, black mustache. “What we need to do is get that last lap right.”

Standing between Earnhardt and his most coveted remaining racing prize - besides the memories of 17 winless 500s - are a bevy of serious challengers.

Those include two-time defending Daytona 500 winner Sterling Marlin and two other former winners, teammates Ernie Irvan, continuing the incredible comeback from near-fatal injuries 18 months ago, and Dale Jarrett.

But the harsh glare of the spotlight falls mostly upon Earnhardt, who by now is sick and tired of answering questions about why he has never won the Daytona 500 and if he expects to ever win it.

“You guys are the only ones who care about all that stuff,” an irritated Earnhardt told reporters last week. “The guys in the garage area don’t ask me about it.”

So many times Earnhardt, winner of 68 other Winston Cup races and a seven-time series champion, has come tantalizingly close to winning NASCAR’s biggest race.

He has finished second three times, including two of the last three years.

At 44, Earnhardt is very aware his chances to finally win the crown jewel of the sport are dwindling to a precious few.

Today, he will start for the first time from the pole position in the 43-car field. Again, his Chevrolet Monte Carlo is the favorite to finally reach Daytona’s Victory Lane - a place he has visited a record 28 times after winning a variety of support events on the high-banked track.

On Friday, he won the opening round of the International Race of Champions series here, following Thursday’s win in one of the Twin 125-mile qualifying races for Sunday’s race.

Adding to the suspense this year is a rule change that has sapped between 30 and 50 horsepower from the already restricted engines used at Daytona.

“We’ll try to stay out front,” Earnhardt said. “If we can’t, we’ll get back in the rocking chair and wait to the end to make our move. You’ve got to be patient or you’re going to go straight back.”

The drafting situation could put a premium on working together, and that could put Earnhardt at a disadvantage with a new movement in NASCAR toward multi-car teams.

Jarrett and Irvan drive Fords for Robert Yates Racing; Jeff Gordon, the defending Winston Cup champion, Ken Schrader and Terry Labonte drive Chevrolets for Hendrick Motorsports, and Martin, Ted Musgrave and Jeff Burton all drive Thunderbirds for Roush Racing.

All of them will start in the top 20 in Sunday’s race.

Earnhardt’s Richard Childress Chevy is a single entry, as is Marlin’s Morgan-McClure Monte Carlo.

“It is pretty frustrating when you’re out there drafting along and here comes a group of team cars and they draft right on by you,” Earnhardt said.

Goody 300

Steve Grissom lost the lead in a late-race pit stop, but regained it with drafting help and then used a perfect blocking maneuver on the final lap to win the Goody’s 300 on Saturday.

Defending race champion Chad Little of Spokane was 19th in a Pontiac, earning $16,188. Little starts 30th in the Daytona 500 today.