#88-Dale Jarrett won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole for the 2005 Daytona 500, lapping Daytona International Speedway in 47.793 seconds at 188.312 mph. Bill Elliott holds the track-qualifying record of 42.783 seconds, 210.364 mph, set Feb. 9, 1987, prior to the advent of restrictor-plate racing. Ken Schrader holds the track restrictor-plate qualifying record with a lap of 46.434 seconds, 198.823 mph – set Feb. 7, 1988.
This is Jarrett’s 16th career Bud Pole in 568 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races.
This is Jarrett’s fourth Bud Pole at Daytona. It is his third Bud Pole in a Daytona 500. He also won the Bud Pole for this event in 1995 and 2000.His lone Pepsi 400 Bud Pole came in 2000.
The Daytona 500 has been won from the Bud Pole nine times in the 46 previous Daytona 500s, most recently by Dale Jarrett in 2000.
Jarrett’s Bud Pole ended a streak of four straight starts outside the top 10 in the Daytona 500 that dated to 2001. Jarrett started 31st here one year ago, 11th in 2003, 21st in 2002 and 31st in 2001. His last Daytona 500 Bud Pole came in 2000.
This is the fourth Daytona 500 Bud Pole for Robert Yates Racing. Yates has won three with Dale Jarrett (1995, 2000 and 2005) and one with Davey Allison (1991).
Jimmie Johnson had the second-fastest time with a qualifying lap of 47.829 seconds at 188.170 mph and will join Jarrett on the front row. It is his fourth top-10 start in his seven races at Daytona; all in the Daytona 500. This is Johnson’s second front-row start in four Daytona 500s. Johnson won the Bud Pole for the 2002 Daytona 500. He started sixth in this race one year ago.
The front row for the Daytona 500 and the starting lineups for the Gatorade Duel qualifying races were set by today’s qualifying. The participating highest-ranked 35 in car owner points from 2004 will be guaranteed a starting spot in the Gatorade Duel races and the 2005 Daytona 500.
Starting positions in the Gatorade Duel races are determined by qualifying speeds. The participating eligible highest ranked 35 in 2004 car owner points will be assigned to Gatorade Duel races based on their standing in the 2004 final car owner points. Odd-numbered ranked car owner’s will compete in the first Gatorade Duel led to the green by the Bud Pole winner; even-numbered owners will compete in the second. Owners who failed to finish in the top-35 of the 2004 car owner points will be assigned to a Gatorade Duel based on qualifying times, the highest qualifying owner to the first Duel; the next to the second and alternating through the remaining entries.
Finishing positions in the Gatorade Duel races will determine starting positions in the 2005 Daytona 500. First the front-row qualifiers will be removed from the equation. The remaining eligible highest ranked 35 in car owner points, plus the two highest finishing non-top 35 teams from each Dual and the four fastest drivers not among those 35 (by time from Daytona 500 qualifying) will make up the field for the 2005 Daytona 500.
The NEXTEL Cup Leader Bonus is worth $10,000. Only Kurt Busch is eligible for the award for the 2005 Daytona 500. If the reigning Series champion does not win the award at Daytona it will increase each race by $10,000 until won by the race winner/points leader and then start over.
The winner of Daytona 500 has started in the top five in five of the seven Daytona 500s since 1998. The remaining two Daytona 500s in that seven-year period were both won by drivers who started 19th: Michael Waltrip (2001) and Ward Burton (2002).(NASCAR Statistical Services)(2-14-2005)
