DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The roar from the Daytona International Speedway crowd confirmed it. On a brisk but sunny afternoon, all seemed right with NASCAR nation. Let the 2011 season begin.
The sport's favorite son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start his No. 88 AMP Energy Chevrolet from the pole position for the Feb. 20 Daytona 500 after posting the fastest lap of qualifying (186.089 mph) Sunday on the newly-paved 2.5-mile track. It is Earnhardt's first superspeedway pole and comes 10 years after his father, the legendary seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500 -- a fact not lost on a largely sentimental crowd cheering him on Sunday.
Earnhardt's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon completes the other half of one of the most popular starting front rows in recent 500 memory. Rookie Trevor Bayne was a surprise third-place qualifier for the iconic Woods Brothers Racing team. Richard Childress Racing teammates Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top-five fastest speeds.
Only the front row is set for the race. The remaining portion of the 43-car field will be filled out according to the finishing order in Thursday's Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races. Each of the Duels starting lineups will be assigned according to the qualifying results.
The last driver to win the Daytona 500 from the pole was Dale Jarrett in 2000.
"We're fired up,'' said Earnhardt, who started second and finished second in last year's 500. "I had a great car today. I didn't have a whole lot to do about it (winning the pole), just held on. The power and the body does all the work.
"It obviously gives you the idea you've got a great car. But anybody can win the race. The main thing for me is it takes the pressure off the (Gatorade Duel) qualifier, I don't have to worry about where I finish and I can just go out there and have fun.''
As for the timing of his first pole at the track coming on the 10-mark of his father's tragic death, Earnhardt deferred the irony.
"I'm here to race,'' Earnhardt said. "I understand the situation and I look forward to seeing how people remember and honor my father. But I don't really get into the hypothetical, fairy-tale ending stuff. I just need to focus on my job and what gets me closer to victory lane on Sunday.''
Sunday's performance is a strong statement for Earnhardt, 36, and Gordon, 39, who have recently lagged behind their other two teammates, five-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and veteran Mark Martin, in wins. Earnhardt, who is making his 400th career Cup start, hasn't won since June of 2008 -- a span of 93 races. Gordon, a four-time champion, is on a 65-race winless streak, the longest of his career.
"I'm here to race. I understand the situation and I look forward to seeing how people remember and honor my father. But I don't really get into the hypothetical, fairy-tale ending stuff. I just need to focus on my job and what gets me closer to victory lane on Sunday."
-- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
This is the first race for both drivers with new teams and crew chiefs. Gordon's former crew chief Steve Letarte is now guiding Earnhardt's efforts.
"It's more a sign of the effort put out by the team and obviously they have a knack for Daytona qualifying. I just had the pleasure of driving the car today. I'm happy,'' said Gordon, who is debuting a new primary sponsor on his No. 24 Chevrolet, AARP's "Drive to End Hunger."
"The chemistry among the team and seeing their attitude has been awesome.''
Gordon also addressed the possibility that NASCAR may issue some technical changes to compensate for the 206-mph laps posted by two-car packs on this new super-fast surface. There have been mixed reviews on the two-car drafts that dominated Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout, but the prevailing opinion is that NASCAR will make some modifications before the next round of Sprint Cup practice on Sunday, however few expect NASCAR to change the carburetor restrictor plate.
"Maybe I'm in a little bit of denial, but I keep thinking we can't do that for a whole 500 miles, but we did it all last night... so anything's possible,'' Gordon said. "And now that we've learned what we did for the two-car draft you'll always have the impression you're capable of doing that.
"(Changing the cars) may stop us from pushing for long periods of time, but it's not going to stop us from pushing. The cars are just driving so good that's why we're able to push at 206 miles per hour around the track. It's kinda cool, if you think about it.
"I thought the race was exciting. It was intense, like a chess match, a lot of strategy, when to ride the brakes, when not to. . it was very interesting.''
"Whatever the rules are, whatever the conditions, I look forward to the Daytona 500.''
As Gordon and Earnhardt were meeting with reporters, NASCAR was issuing a technical bulletin in the garage that standardized the front grill opening of the cars to 2 1/2 -inches by 20-inches. The new rules also require teams to install a pressure relief valve on the water cooling system to decrease the boiling point for the engine water. The idea is increase the risk cars will overheat should they stay nose-to-tail in the tight two-car drafts for an extended amount of time.
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