#84-Norm Benning , who has unsuccessfully tried to make the Daytona 500 for the past 14 years, didn’t get a chance this year. In the past several years, Benning hasn’t made a qualifying run and has simply tried to make his way into the field through the 125-mile qualifying races. But to start one of those races, a driver must reach a minimum speed of 172.000mph in practice. Rain wiped out qualifying Sunday, leaving drivers with only one round, and Benning was told late Monday that since he didn’t reach his speed before the end of qualifying, he couldn’t run in the qualifying races. “I’m devastated,” Benning said. “I feel like they changed the rules. I don’t know what I did to deserve this. I want to be a part of the NASCAR family, like they say, but I feel like I’ve been thrown out of the family.” Winston Cup director John Darby said Benning had to reach the speed before the end of qualifying, since practice Tuesday was devoted to getting ready for the qualifying races. “It’s a process we follow,” Darby said.( Daytona Beach News Journal/AP )(2-12-2003)
