Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Petty qualifies ‘borderline’ 27th for Daytona 500

Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2002 | 10 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kyle Petty, who was fastest among the 29 NASCAR Winston Cup drivers who tested at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last month, led second-round qualifying Monday for the Daytona 500.

Petty, one of only four drivers to take part in second-round qualifying, posted a lap of 183.061 mph and established the 27th-fastest qualifying speed among 53 drivers.

"We thought we could run a 49 flat," said Petty, whose best qualifying lap was 49.164 seconds in his Dodge. "We missed our chance Saturday; we could have been a top-10 or top-15 car and now we're 27th. That's borderline."

Petty likely will have to race his way into the Daytona 500 starting lineup through one of Thursday's two 125-mile qualifying races. He will start 26th in the first qualifying race.

Also taking part in Monday's qualifying were Mike Skinner (181.785 mph -- 41st fastest), Kirk Shelmerdine (178.246 -- 51st) and Norm Benning (168.429 -- 53rd).

Busch will start 22nd in Thursday's first qualifying race in the No. 97 Ford. Busch's Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth also will be in the race and could help Busch in the draft.

Geoffrey Bodine, in a Ford, posted the fastest lap during Monday's practice at 188.379 mph.

"Look at practice (Monday) morning," Spencer said. "I thought they already had the change on the spoiler they were going so fast.

"(NASCAR thinks) they just helped the Ford in qualifying trim. Where they're really going to run fast is in the draft. They're going to haul the mail down the straightaway."

NASCAR on Sunday announced that it would reduce the rear spoiler height on the Ford Taurus by one-quarter inch, starting with this morning's practice session.

"Those Fords were loose (Sunday, in the Budweiser Shootout)," Gordon said. "I can't wait to see how loose they are now without that quarter-inch on their spoiler."

"I still think you're going to go all year long and this is going to go on and on and on, I really do -- and there's nothing wrong with that," Wallace said.

"I mean, this is like Elvis, it really is. They never forget (Elvis), they still commemorate him ... and I think Dale is going to be no different."

Speaking of Elvis, Wallace's Ford Taurus will sport a special Elvis-themed paint scheme commemorating the 25th anniversary of the singer's death for the March 3 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.