Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Jeff Green expected to be on Daytona 500 pole

Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2003 | 9:13 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. -- Jeff Green surprised everybody but himself on Monday when he won the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500.

"I really expected it," said Green, who knocked Dale Earnhardt Jr. off the pole with a lap of 186.606 mph. "A lot of people, I think, looked at me like I had four eyes when I said that."

In the last practice session before qualifying, which was delayed until Monday when rain washed out all on-track activities at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Green didn't even take his No. 30 Chevrolet onto the track."

"We didn't practice a lot Saturday; we knew we had a great racecar," he said.

It appeared as if Earnhardt would continue his Daytona dominance this week when he captured the pole late in Monday's session with a speed of 186.382. But Green went right out behind Earnhardt and knocked his buddy from the top starting position.

"I am satisfied," said Earnhardt, who won Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout for last year's pole winners in impressive fashion. "We have never really qualified better than fifteenth here on qualifying day so, for me, it was a fantastic lap."

Robby Gordon was the third-fastest qualifier at 185.927 and 2001 Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip was fourth fastest (185.460) as Chevrolets took the top four spots and six of the top 10.

Las Vegas native Kurt Busch qualified 30th at 183.094 mph in the No. 97 Roush Racing Ford.

Only the top two starting positions in the Daytona 500 were set through Monday's qualifying. Positions 3 through 30 will be determined by Thursday's two 125-mile qualifying races. Positions 31 through 36 will be set by Monday's qualifying speeds (the top six speeds among drivers who are not in the top 30 after Thursday's races) and the final seven positions are provisional positions assigned based on last year's car owner standings.

"When we came around and crossed the start/finish line, (the engine) made a pop and then it took off again," Stewart said. "But, at the same time, after it did that it started laying down.

"Coming off the backstretch, it was about 700 revs lower than it should have been so I knew we had a problem."

The sometimes-volatile Stewart took the setback in stride.

"If that's the worst thing that happens to us, we'll be all right this year," Stewart said. "I like racing. I hate this qualifying stuff. I like the racing a lot better. This will be fun: coming from the back."

Stewart will start last in the 25-car field for Thursday's second qualifying race.

Gaughan, the 2002 NCTS Rookie of the Year, posted a fast lap of 180.908 mph in his No. 62 Orleans Hotel & Casino Dodge.

Robert Pressley, in a Dodge, was the fastest in the one-hour session at 182.267 mph. Terry Cook was second fastest (181.737) in a Ford and David Starr was third fastest (181.455) in a Chevrolet.

Kelly Sutton, a 31-year-old mother of two who is battling relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, finished 17th after running near the top 10 for much of the first 40 laps.

Sutton's Pontiac is sponsored by the drug company, Teva Neuroscience, which manufactures the medicine she takes to help reduce the frequency of her relapses.