Junie Donlavey’s #90 Ford team missed qualifying for the Daytona 500 for the third consecutive season yesterday. Kirk Shelmerdine started 24th and finished 23rd in the second 125-mile qualifying race at Daytona. Shelmerdine needed to finish at least 15th, and Donlavey estimated his #90 Ford needed to be a half-second faster per lap to have a shot at making the field. “We just didn’t have what we needed,” he said. “This was a week of ‘Let’s go down and test and see how far off we are.’ ” The team has no plans to attend any upcoming Winston Cup races, but Donlavey will keep his shop open and continue to hunt for sponsorship. He left open the option of returning this year.( Richmond Times Dispatch )(2-14-2003)
