Gatorade Duels

With all of the Kenrick engines being changed out, I like;
(odds from Betus or Superbook)
Race 1
Boris Said +4000
Ryan Newman +2000
Scott Riggs +5000

Race 2
Waltrip +2000
Reutimann +5000
Matt Kenseth +1200
Mark Martin +1200

Thoughts and Opinions welcome.

GLTA

a few match-ups (fade Henrick, after moving to the back)

Kurt Busch -125 vs. Casey Mears
Ryan Newman -120 vs. Casey Mears
Tony Stewart -110 vs. Jeff Gordon
Denny Hamlin -105 vs. Kyle Busch

GLTA

I like

Race 1

Ryan Newman and Casey Mears

Race 2

Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray

I know Cash loves Fords so jump on race 2 ;D

Remember Mears is going to starting in the back due to an engine change. All of the Henrick cars are changing out their engines and thus will be starting from the back of the field. After the Duels they get a free engine change and don't lose their starting spot. I thought you might have missed the engine changes with all of your posting, thanks for all your efforts. Good luck!

Yeah I saw that but where you start at Daytona means nothing and if anything it gets you a better price. ;D

ENGINE WOES FOR HENDRICK: Qualifier cars sent to rear

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A bumpy track, engine gremlins and handling questions for the Car of Tomorrow -- today's duel Gatorade 150 qualifying races should provide hard data on who can win the 50th Daytona 500 on Sunday and who'll just run around for a paycheck.

As mega team Hendrick Motorsports suffered camshaft lifter failures and was forced to tear down its Chevrolet engines at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, other teams were having trouble keeping NASCAR's new car squarely on the track.

Hendrick changed engines in the cars of defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears, while Joe Nemechek, who drives the No. 78 Chevy for Furniture Row Racing, did the same with his Hendrick-supplied engine.

Toyota was also having power plant problems, and will replace engines in the cars of A.J. Allmendinger (Red Bull Toyota), Dale Jarrett (Michael Waltrip Racing), Tony Stewart (Joe Gibbs racing) and J.J. Yeley (Hall of Fame Racing).

Under NASCAR rules, the drivers who changed engines will go to the back of the pack in the qualifying races, which set positions 3-43 in the 43-car field for the 500.

Johnson won the 500 pole last Sunday and will still lead the field to the green flag in Sunday's race. Michael Waltrip, in a Toyota, will still start second.

But for the other cars, staring at the rear of today's qualifiers might jeopardize their chances to win the 500, or even make the race, as things are likely to get rough at the rear.

Hendrick was hard at work solving its engine woes Wednesday afternoon as rain fell on the Speedway and interrupted Craftsman Truck practice.

Jeff Andrews, head engine builder for Hendrick, said the problem was being addressed at the team's shop as he spoke.

"We have a group of guys back in Charlotte, the best group of guys, in my mind, and they have already started on a fix for the program," Andrews said. "We will get this stuff back, get it rebuilt and get it brought down here. What we had to put in the cars, we have a lot of confidence in."

Andrews said the engine concerns did not center on horsepower, which is crucial on the 2.5-mile Daytona track.

"It's not r.p.m. related," he said. "We know we have a problem there ... but right now our biggest focus is to get the stuff in the cars that will be good for tomorrow and practice again on Friday."

If Hendrick does have a bad batch of Chevy engines, Dodge is sitting pretty and hoping to take advantage of the situation.

"Thank God none of our engines are back in the garage right now," said Dodge Motorsports senior program manager Mike Delahanty. "We're feeling quietly confident."

Dodge and Ford have taken a back seat on and off the track here this week to Chevy and Toyota. But Kasey Kahne, who'll start 18th in the second qualifying race today in the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger, isn't worried.

"It's been all right," Kahne said Wednesday of practice. "We're working on getting the car to turn better. We'll keep working on that."

On today's race, he added: "It's a matter of where you're at, at the right time, especially during the last lap. You want to make sure you're still out there and still running to get in the right spot with the right cars behind you."

Ryan Newman, who will start ninth in the No. 12 Alltel Dodge in the first qualifying race, said he was happy enough after practice.

"The car is OK. We are just trying to work and get the balance perfect," said Newman, who drives for Penske Racing. "I feel like we are pretty good, speed-wise. The Alltel Dodge is very competitive, and we drove from the back to the front in the first part of practice there and it felt really good."

freepress.com.

Jarrett likes his chances in Duel 150

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kurt Busch will have a new fan -- for about 45 minutes.

For obvious reasons, Dale Jarrett will be cheering for Busch in the first of two Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying races on Thursday, scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET start. Jarrett is a past NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, and as such, he'll get a starting spot in Sunday's Daytona 500 if Busch, a more recent past champion, claims one of the two transfer spots available in the first Duel.

The top two finishers in each Duel not already in the Daytona 500 transfer to (or qualify for) Sunday's race.

Jarrett also can race his way into the field in the second Duel, where he'll be competing against six other cars outside the top 35 in owner points. The three-time Daytona 500 winner likes his chances, because his opposition includes two drivers short on experience (rookies Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve) and four entries short on horsepower (Eric McClure, Ken Schrader, John Andretti and Stanton Barrett).

Jarrett, who will run only six races this year before retiring, also has a pair of aces in the hole in teammates Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann, both of whom already are locked into the Daytona 500 field -- Waltrip by claiming the outside front-row starting position on Sunday and Reutimann as one of the two fastest qualifiers (behind polesitter Jimmie Johnson and Waltrip) outside the top 35 in owner points.

Waltrip, who also owns his No. 55 Toyota, as well as Jarrett's No. 44 and Reutimann's No. 00, already has indicated that he and Reutimann will drop back in the second Duel, if that's what it takes to help Jarrett make the race. Where Waltrip finishes has no bearing on whether Jarrett makes the field, but Reutimann could hurt his teammate's chances by grabbing one of the top two positions among those outside the top 35.

"Michael and David are already locked in, and if they go out and finish ahead of me, that's probably going to keep me out of the race," Jarrett said Wednesday morning. "What we're looking at more, and what we talked about, is that we'll do whatever we have to do, but if we can work together, we feel like that's our best effort. That's the way right now we're looking at helping each other."

Though Jarrett is trying to qualify for the last Daytona 500 of his career, don't expect him to take Reutimann's place in the No. 00 car if he fails to make the field otherwise. It's Reutimann who will take over the No. 44 UPS Camry from Jarrett after the fifth race of the season (Jarrett will return to drive in the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in May), and Michael McDowell will succeed Reutimann in the No. 00.

"David's going to be there for the whole season -- he's the one running the whole year, and we're not going to take (his car) just because it's my last deal," Jarrett said. "It wouldn't be the end of the world for me.

"I have been very fortunate over the years, and I'm the one who recommended David Reutimann to UPS. I want him to go out here and have a great Daytona 500."

What Said needs to race Sunday

As the fastest qualifier outside the top 35 and not already locked into the race, Ford driver Boris Said has this path to the Daytona 500 field: Either he must race his way into the show in the first Duel -- against the stronger of the two fields -- or he can qualify on speed if either Joe Nemechek (third fastest behind Johnson and Waltrip on Sunday) or Reutimann (fourth fastest) transfers from his respective Duel to a spot in the 500.

"Basically, if I spin out in the first race, I get in if Joe Nemechek qualifies in the top two," Said acknowledged. "If he doesn't, then in the second race my last chance is (that) David Reutimann has to finish in the top two, then I transfer.

"But then there are a lot of other little things like, if Kurt Busch doesn't transfer in the first race, then he takes a championship provisional and then I'm sure David Reutimann will have team orders to pull over and let the 44 car go through. My hopes are that if I don't transfer and Joe Nemechek doesn't transfer is at least Kurt Busch transfers.

"You want to make this race so bad. You lie down in bed and just keep thinking about all these different scenarios, so I'll be glad when it's all over on Thursday. Hopefully, it's on the good side."

Evernham joins ESPN team

Former Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham, a minority owner in Gillett Evernham Motorsports, has joined the ESPN broadcast team for the 2008 season.

Evernham will appear as an analyst on the network's expanded one-hour Monday edition of "NASCAR Now." He also will appear via satellite on other "NASCAR Now" shows during the week and will serve as a booth analyst for the Nationwide Series races in Mexico City and Loudon, N.H.

Evernham also will join ESPN's prerace "NASCAR Countdown" show for a number of races in 2008. In his expanded role as a broadcaster, Evernham will see his presence at Gillett Evernham diminished.

"I resigned as CEO, and we've brought in a new gentleman named Tom Reddin as CEO last week, and it's something I should have done three years ago," Evernham said. "He's a great guy. I've taken a role of no role. Basically, I call myself a consultant, advisor ...

"I've really taken a 10,000-foot view of where my next direction's going to go. I'm a minority owner. I do have, still, a huge passion for racing, and I want to help Gillett Evernham Motorsports as much as I can, but I'm also going to try to develop some other interests around racing."

What's in a name?

In describing the trophy he won for qualifying second on Sunday, Michael Waltrip noted a rather significant engraving error.

"It said '2008 Nextel Cup Front Row Award,' " Waltrip said.

Problem is, the name of NASCAR's top series changed from Nextel to Sprint Cup, starting this year. Waltrip says he has already been promised a corrected plate for the trophy.

Earnhardt Jr. wins first Duel at Daytona
Thu 14th, February 2008

Daytona Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it two in a row with his new team capturing Thursday's first Gatorade Duel at Daytona race. The No.88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver crossed the finish line 0.145 seconds ahead of Reed Sorenson.

The victory was "Junior's third Duel win. The win means that Earnhardt Jr. will start third in Sunday's 50th running of the Daytona 500. He will be alongside the winner of the second Duel race behind pole winner Jimmie Johnson and Michael Waltrip.

"I hope the fans enjoyed it, it was a fun race," said Earnhardt Jr.

A number of big names had to go to the back because of engine problems during the final practice. They included: pole winner Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears, Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger.

After the smoke had cleared, Ryan Newman was left to bring the 27-car field to the green flag. But not for long as they traded places on almost every lap. Vickers slowed the field after a spin, but other than that they races under green until Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on lap 18.

Newman challenged "Junior" on lap 22 and they were side-by-side across the stripe, but Earnhardt Jr. fought him off and Newman got back in line behind the No.88 Hendrick Motorsports machine.

In Earnhardt Jr.'s mirror, however, was the No.48 of Johnson who started shotgun on the field, but was fourth after 29 laps.

Green flag pit stops began on lap 30, the halfway mark of the race. "Junior" came in on lap 35 with most of the leaders following him down pit lane.

It didn't take long for Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. to return to the lead group. By lap 38 they were out front, the No.48 Chevy leading Earnhardt Jr., Newman and Juan Montoya.

Twenty laps to go and the two Hendrick Motorsports drivers were hooked up nose-to-tail.

On lap 44 "Junior" tired of following, ducked to the bottom of the track, but no one went with him and he dropped back to seventh. Then Newman dropped to the bottom and Montoya went with him. The two Dodge-powered cars working together got around Johnson and took the lead.

Ten laps to go and Newman along with Reed Sorenson led the way, but "Junior" was charging back towards them. Johnson had fallen off the pace and out of the top-10.

"Junior" dropped to the bottom of the track and again no one went with the No.88. But he didn't need help this time as he powered to the lead and in front of Newman and Sorenson.

"I just let it rip down the back straight," said Earnhardt Jr. "I had fun racing Ryan."

With seven laps to go, Johnson pulled his car on pit road. He didn't need to finish as he was the pole winner for Sunday's race.

Six laps to go and Elliott Sadler slapped the outside wall to bring out the caution flag.

The race would restart with two laps remaining to run.

Earnhardt Jr. began the acceleration with Sorenson, Newman and Mears the top- four. Sorenson gave "Junior" a bump and the two jumped away from the rest of the field. They had almost 10 lengths on third-place Newman. They were not to be stopped and Earnhardt Jr. took his third Duel of Dayton victory.

Newman, Mears and Carl Edwards completed the top-five. Kenny Wallace and Brian Vickers clinched spots in the "Great American Race" by finishing eighth and 11th, respectively.

Hamlin wins second Duel at Daytona
Thu 14th, February 2008

Daytona Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Denny Hamlin captured Thursday's second Gatorade Duel at Daytona. The No.11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver crossed the finish line 0.091 seconds ahead of teammate Tony Stewart.

The victory was Hamlin's first Duel win. It means that Hamlin will start fourth in Sunday's 50th running of the Daytona 500. He will be alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind pole winner Jimmie Johnson and Michael Waltrip.

"This team did a great job preparing the car," said Hamlin. "To get Toyota it's first win, I couldn't be happier."

A number of big names had to go to the back because of engine problems during the final practice. They included: Jeff Gordon, Hamlin and Stewart. But in restrictor-plate racing, starting position rarely matters.

The green flag dropped and David Reutimann got a great jump to beat Waltrip to the start/finish line. A stunning start, but illegal and he was given a drive-thru penalty dropping him to the back of the field.

Waltrip and Blaney, both in Toyotas, led the early portion of the race staying at the bottom of the track - a rarity for Waltrip, who loves the high line.

Behind the pair, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Gordon were charging around the outside. When Waltrip stumbled just a bit, Kenseth grabbed the lead on lap 13. One lap later Kahne led the pack with a slick move underneath the No.17 Ford.

On lap 15, Stanton Barrett, Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti and Jamie McMurray ended up in an accident. It started when Villeneuve got loose again, but this time he couldn't regroup and he collected the other drivers.

The cleanup took some time and they didn't restart the race until lap 22.

The drivers were calm for about half-a-lap and then Waltrip challenged Kenseth for the lead. Meanwhile, Gordon got a good run on the outside and grabbed the lead away from both of them just as Dave Blaney's Toyota began to smoke and the caution flag came out to slow the race again.

On the restart Gordon immediately went to the lead held it for a couple of laps and then gave way to former teammate Kyle Busch, now with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Then Stewart joined the fray using the high line to join the top cars. It was still Kyle Busch leading, but Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Gordon were looming close behind.

Harvick edged ahead of Kyle Busch with 17 laps to go. Ten laps to go and Harvick and Mark Martin led at the start/finish line. The top six cars put a little distance between themselves and Gordon, in seventh.

Harvick led the group through lap 48, but two JGR teammates Busch and Stewart were stalking him. Harvick made one little slip and Busch regained the lead. Harvick fell all the way to sixth as Busch and Stewart took control with Gordon now up in third place. Stewart edged past Hamlin for the lead with seven laps remaining, but cars were all over the track making moves.

Hamlin sat on Stewart's bumper and the two broke away as the rest of the field was side-by-side which slowed them considerably. But Gordon never gives up and his Hendrick horsepower began to bridge the gap to the leaders all by himself.

The No.24 Chevy caught the two Toyota-powered cars and now the race was a three-way battle.

Then with three laps to go and Patrick Carpentier slapped the outside wall to bring out the caution flag and set up a two-lap shootout for the win.

On the restart Hamlin ducked to the bottom of the track and Gordon went with him. They passed Stewart and were one-two as they saw the white flag. Gordon, not settling for second place, moved high and Stewart slipped in behind Hamlin The push from his teammate won the second race of the day for the No.11 Toyota team.

Dale Jarrett and John Andretti clinched spots in the "Great American Race" by finishing ninth and 10th, respectively.

Sunday's 50th running of the Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. (et).