Speedweeks to set stage for landmark Daytona 500
Sprint Cup Series teams' haulers begin rolling into Daytona International Speedway at 7:30 a.m. ET Thursday, and the wheels of NASCAR history will start turning shortly afterward.
Preparations are beginning for the 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17, and the magnitude isn't lost on veterans such as Elliott Sadler, who will be racing in his 10th Daytona season opener but has followed the Great American Race since long before that.
"It's a dream come true for me, for a kid from a very small town of Emporia, Va., to race on this stage for these stakes," Sadler, 32, said. "It's hard to put in words."
Sadler's No. 19 Dodge won't be on the 2.5-mile oval until qualifying practice Saturday, but a couple dozen drivers will make laps Friday for the Budweiser Shootout. The 70-lap exhibition for last year's pole winners and past Shootout winners is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
Daytona 500 qualifying is set for 1:15 p.m. ET Sunday. Only the top two spots are decided; the remainder of the starting lineup will be set by the Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying races Feb. 14.
Based off testing last month, prerace Daytona 500 favorites include two drivers who are switching rides: Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Hendrick Motorsports).
Though Sadler is coming off his worst season since 2000 (25th in points, two top-10 finishes), he is confident about his chances at Daytona, where the finicky draft and restricted engines create event conditions unlike those in the bulk of the 36-race schedule.
"It's probably my best racetrack," said the Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver, who won qualifying races in 2004 and '06. "Are we an underdog for this race? Yes. Do I think I can win it? Yes. I don't think this race has anything to do with how we run at California, Vegas or Atlanta or how we ran at Homestead last race. This is its own entity.
"I'm going to be a player in this race before it's all over. Is that a steep hill to climb? Yes. But it seems like whatever car I get in at Daytona, I have a good chance of winning."
The Daytona Speedweeks race lineup, which also will feature the NASCAR Craftsman Truck (Feb. 15) and Nationwide (Feb. 16) series, kicks off with the ARCA 200 at 4:15 p.m. ET Saturday.
It's the season opener for the ARCA Re/Max Series, a developmental stock-car circuit that will feature former Formula One driver Scott Speed. Dario Franchitti, the reigning Indianapolis 500 and IRL IndyCar champion who is moving to Cup this season, also will race Saturday in a Dodge.
Another spin: BMW announced Wednesday that it will run two cars in the American Le Mans Series beginning in 2009.
Rahal Letterman Racing will head the factory effort. BMW has raced in the ALMS before, winning the 1999 12 Hours of Sebring. It went on to claim six victories over the next two seasons in the LMP prototype class before switching in 2001 to the GT2 class.
BMW's return coincides with the unveiling of its M3 race car at the Chicago Auto Show.
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