All News Bill Elliott Boris Said Jason Leffler Jimmie Johnson Joe Nemechek Ken Schrader Kerry Earnhardt Scott Riggs Tony Stewart

Daytona Qualifying Notes:

July 1, 2005 at 12:00 AM

• Tony Stewart won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole for the Pepsi 400, lapping Daytona International Speedway in 48.496 seconds at 185.582 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.
• There have been 10 different Bud Pole winners in the last 10 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races at Daytona.
• This is Stewart’s eighth career Bud Pole in 229 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.
• It is Stewart’s ninth top-10 start in 14 races at Daytona but only his third in timedqualifying. His last timed-qualifying top-10 start came in July 2000. This is his 11th top-10 start this season.
• Stewart has never won in 25 restrictor-plate races but he has finished second in five. Four of his runner-up finishes came at Talladega. He finished second at Daytona in the 2004 Daytona 500.
• Stewart became the 10th different Bud Pole winner this season. His most recent Bud Pole came at Chicago in 2003, 71 races ago.
• Scott Riggs posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 48.539 seconds, 185.418 mph – and will join Stewart on the front row for the Pepsi 400. Riggs posted his second top10 start in his four races at Daytona and his fifth top-10 start in 2005.
• This is the seventh Bud Pole for Chevrolet in 2005. Dodge also has seven Bud Poles and Ford has two. Qualifying was canceled at Dover.
• Jimmie Johnson (third) posted his fifth top-10 start in eight races at Daytona. This will be his 10th top-10 start in 2005.
• Boris Said (fourth) posted his first top-10 qualifying effort on an oval track in his seventh career- oval-track race. This is his second top-10 start in 2005.
• Joe Nemechek (fifth) posted his fourth top-10 start in 23 races at Daytona. It is his fifth top-10 start this season but his first since Texas. All three MB Motorsports teams qualified in the top five for the first time.
• Jason Leffler (eighth) posted his best qualifying effort since he started sixth at Kansas in October 2003.
• Kerry Earnhardt (10th) posted career-first top-10 start. His previous best start 20th at Daytona in July 2004.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(7-1-2005)