Spaniard Maria De Villota has become a Marussia F1 Team test driver.

Maria has raced in a variety of single-seater and sports car categories, including Spanish F3, the Daytona 24 Hours, the Euroseries 3000 and Superleague Formula Championship.

Maria has also experienced a Formula One cockpit previously, having received a test drive courtesy of the team formerly known as Lotus Renault F1 Team at Paul Ricard in August of last year, where she achieved 300kms of running.

As the daughter of former F1 driver and British Formula One Series Champion Emilio de Villota, Maria has always dreamed of following in his footsteps to reach the highest level of motorsport. Her integration into the Marussia F1 Team means she will have the opportunity to work with racing drivers operating at the pinnacle of the sport and, later in the year, the chance to drive the MR01.

John Booth, Team Principal, Marussia F1 Team, commented:

“We are pleased to welcome Maria to our test driver programme, which will enable her to be integrated into a Formula One team environment and gain a vast amount of experience that will be useful to her career progression. We will also provide Maria with the opportunity to sample F1 machinery later in the year, further adding to her racing credentials.”

Maria De Villota had this to say:

“I am very happy to be joining the Marussia F1 Team test driver programme. This is a fantastic opportunity to work closely with a Formula One team and gain important experience to help me progress my career, including the chance to drive the new car later in the year at the Abu Dhabi test. I will be joining the team trackside so I’m looking forward to working alongside them at the first race next weekend and this can only help my future ambition to step up to Formula One racing.”

Jean Todt does not sound confident about formula one’s return to America.
A ten-year contract for a race at a purpose-built circuit in Austin, Texas, was signed recently with F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

But some experts are sceptical the organisers can succeed where the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the last US GP venue, failed.

Ecclestone said last week the promoter risks penalties if the debut race is not delivered in 2012, and he is now being quoted as revealing he is in talks about a separate event in New York.

And while a guest of NASCAR at Daytona last weekend, FIA president Todt sounded less than optimistic about F1′s chances in America.

When specifically asked about Austin, the Frenchman told a Fox Sports reporter: “At the moment, it’s just a project. I don’t think something will happen next year.”

Todt said part of the reason for his US visit was to learn about NASCAR’s success in the US versus formula one.

“Of course, there are reasons why NASCAR is so big in America and why formula one has never really been able so far to do something out here while doing a lot in other countries around the world,” he added.

Slowly but surely, Jamie McMurray has realized his victory in last Sunday’s Daytona 500 wasn’t a dream.  It’s real, and he’s enjoying every minute of it.  More than six hours after the start of the Daytona 500, McMurray joyfully hoisted the famed Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway.  McMurray endured lengthy delays for potholes that surfaced on the track, survived a crash-filled affair in the closing laps and held off a hard-charging Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap.

Last year, McMurray didn’t know for whom he would drive in 2010 after his Roush Fenway Racing No.26 team folded tent at the end of the season.  He landed a ride with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in the No.1 car shortly after, and what a debut he made with the team.

With his second-place run, Earnhardt Jr. was the highest finisher among the four Hendrick drivers.  Earnhardt Jr., hoping to snap a 57-race winless streak, charged from 10th on the final two-lap overtime restart to second on the last lap, but McMurray held him off by 0.12 seconds.  California has not been one of Earnhardt Jr.’s best tracks, based on his previous performances there.  ”I don’t like going out west, but it’s much easier to go there after you run good somewhere else,” Earnhardt Jr. said.  Earnhardt Jr. has finished 25th or worse in three of the last four races at California.

McMurray celebrates his Daytona 500 victory with several obligations in Los Angeles this week previous to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Jamie McMurray is somewhat digesting Sunday’s Daytona 500 victory with the help of the great number of interviews he has given.

But the signs of appreciation must soon give way to the task of adding to it, particularly running well on the intermediate-length tracks that make up the bulk of the Sprint Cup schedule.  Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway (2-mile track) in Fontana, Calif., begins a three-race run at 1.5- to 2-mile tracks, and McMurray aims to add to his breakthrough 2002 win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

With experience from Dodge and Ford, he’ll copy the Chevrolet setup used by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, who mostly ran well on those tracks last year in making the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Most of McMurray’s success at Auto Club came in his first stint with Ganassi with four top-10s in five starts; 13 starts have resulted in an average finish of 16.4.

“It will be important to run well this weekend,” he said during a teleconference. “That’s honestly a really good track for me. I haven’t been in one of their cars on a mile-and-a-half.

“I expect to get to Fontana, be able to unload with the setup that Juan ran last year and be really close.  Juan Pablo Montoya ran great there last year (11th and third).”

With a last-lap pass of superspeedway ace Todd Bodine, Timothy Peters won Saturday, February 13^th night’s NextEra Energy 250 Truck Series race at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

With a push from polesitter Jason White passed Bodine on the backstretch and won the race to the finish line. Bodine, who had won the previous two season openers at Daytona, crossed the stripe in second place but spun into the infield grass after taking the checkered flag.

“I can’t believe it — this thing drove like a Lexus tonight,” Peters said of his No. 17 Toyota Tundra. “We just won Daytona! I was just content where I was at, but the No. 23 [White] came up and gave me a great run.

“I can’t believe it — I’m going to Disney World!”

Peters’ only previous win in the series came at .526-mile Martinsville Speedway.

Dennis Setzer, White and Matt Crafton rounded out the top five, as Bodine took solace from his second-place run — magnified by wrecks that ruined the nights of defending series champion Ron Hornaday and Mike Skinner, perennial contenders for the Truck Series title.

“You’re a sitting duck leading,” Bodine said ruefully. “I saw the replay when I was sitting down there in the mud [after spinning]. Timmy did what he had to do.

“We’re disappointed. There’s no doubt about it. But second’s nothing to sneeze at.”

Two separate crashes on the pace laps — before the race had started — promised an action-filled evening, and, indeed, before the race was a lap old, Aric Almirola took the field three-wide in Turn 3. Austin Dillon, making his first superspeedway start, broke loose between trucks and ignited a nine-truck collision that damaged the trucks of Kyle Busch and Landon Cassill, among others.

“I really don’t know what was happening,” Dillon said after exiting the infield care center. “I was sucking up to Jason White and someone got under me. Just looked like they weren’t being very patient there to start. Just caught in the middle and got banged around there a few times and tried to save it — just nothing I could do there.”

Hornaday was the victim of a 10-truck wreck after a bump from Ricky Carmichael turned him into the outside wall at the end of the backstretch on Lap 32. The same wreck ruined the winning chances of front-row starter Elliot Sadler. Skinner’s race ended early after a tap from Peters launched him into the Turn 3 wall on Lap 62

Summary of the results: 1 Timothy Peters (Toyota); 2 Todd Bodine (Toyota); 3 Dennis Setzer (Dodge); 4 Jason White (Ford); 5 Matt Crafton (Chevrolet); 6 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Toyota); 7 Stacy Compton (Toyota); 8 Johnny Benson (Ford); 9 Donnie Neuenberger (Chevrolet); 10 J.J. Yeley (Chevrolet).

After a late night of celebrating their coveted victory in “The Great American Race”, yesterday, Jamie McMurray and his team handed over their No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet to be inducted into the attraction’s Gatorade Victory Lane. The winning car will be on display until next February when it will be returned to the team prior to the 53rd annual Daytona 500.

Winning the most prestigious race on the NASCAR circuit finally started to sink in Monday morning for 2010 Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who celebrated with his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team during the Daytona 500 Champion’s Breakfast at Daytona 500 Experience.

“It’s kind of sinking in,” McMurray said. “Every time we do something it’s a little more real. Whether it’s getting the jackets or the ring or just everything that’s a part of this, it’s just really, really exciting.”

Winning crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion was enjoying the surreal experience.

“Everything’s been in fast forward,” Manion said. “Pictures, media center, inspecting the car, pushing the car to the trailer to come over here and then a couple hours of sleep for some of us. It’s just been so exciting.

“(On) rain delays you stay over but winning the race and you have to stay over and have breakfast — that’s pretty cool.”

Also enjoying the festivities was co-owner Chip Ganassi, who is one of only two owners to win both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500.

“Jamie showed me a text from (last year’s Daytona 500 champion) Matt Kenseth where he said, ‘You’ll never want this day to end.’ I agree completely. I don’t want this day to end.

“You have a complete flashback of your entire racing career — thinking about the possibility of something like this happening. You’re always shooting for that and you’re always trying for that. It’s just so reflective right now. Every sacrifice you made and every tough meeting I’ve had with a crew chief or a driver – the ups and downs of this business. It all seems worth it now.”

McMurray, who also unveiled the logo for 53rd annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20th, is now on a whirlwind media tour making appearances on Late Show with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly in New York City as well as making stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles before Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Despite his hectic upcoming schedule, McMurray knows the memory he’s going to take away from all of this.

“The thing that I’m going to remember is getting out of the car and running up and grabbing the flag and then running back down and seeing the Daytona (painted) in the infield (grass) and seeing ‘Daytona 500’. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. That’s the memory I have burned in my head right now of the 500; that’s something I’ll never forget.”

Steve McCormick, in About.com Guide commented regarding Greg Biffle, “Even the fastest car can’t drive itself.  Greg Biffle brings an impressive resume to Daytona: 1998 Truck Series Rookie of the Year, 2000 Truck Series Champion, 2001 BGN Rookie of the Year, 2002 Busch Series Champion and the winner of last July’s Daytona race.”

“Take a guy who is a proven restrictor plate winner and put him behind arguably the best engine in the sport and you’ve got a potential pole sitter. Can anyone tell me why sports writers are calling his pole winning run “shocking” and “surprising?”

“His name may not be on the tip of your tongue when you think of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars but this pole run shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone.”

Greg Biffle who was born in December 23rd, 1969, started 7 races in 2002.  His official rookie season was 2003 and he featured a win at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona.  Jamie McMurray beat him for Rookie of the Year honors.

His more outstanding performances have been:

2000 – Craftsman Truck Series Champion.

2002 – Busch Grand National Series Champion.

2003 – Won first NEXTEL Cup Race (July Daytona)

2005 – Finished second in NEXTEL Cup points

Jack Roush picked up Greg Biffle back in the mid 90′s with the idea that with some seasoning he could be great.

Just a few years later Greg rewarded Roush Racing with it’s first NASCAR championship as Greg pushed and shoved his way to the Craftsman Truck Series title. A couple of years after that Greg again came through, this time delivering a Busch Grand National series championship.

Early in his NEXTEL Cup career Greg has proven that he can get the job done. His first victory in NASCAR’s premier division came under the lights in Daytona as Greg won the Pepsi 400 during his 2003 rookie campaign.

There are surely more championships in Greg’s future.  Those stories are still to be written but clearly he knows what it takes to win titles and he is with a top-notch team in the form of Jack Roush.

Jamie McMurray held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, a finish so thrilling it just about made up for a pothole that nearly derailed the Super Bowl of  NASCAR.

NASCAR needed two stoppages of well over two hours total to patch a pesky pothole between turns 1 and 2 of Daytona International Speedway. The setback brought the biggest race of the season to a frustrating halt and had NASCAR executives fretting over the potential fallout.

Hoping for a spectacular season-opener to re-energize the industry, the delays instead sent NASCAR chairman Brian France into the broadcast booth to calm an agitated audience.

In the end, though, the hole inadvertently improved the racing.

The action picked up tremendously after the second patch was applied, partly because drivers had to race as if the hole could rip open again and end the event on any lap. And did they ever.

They beat and banged their way through the field in a white-knuckle final 32 laps. Then a flurry of late-race accidents put NASCAR’s ”green-white-checker” policy — an overtime of sorts — to the test.

McMurray, using a boost from former teammate Greg Biffle, powered into the lead on the second and final green-white-checkered attempt. But Earnhardt, who restarted the final sprint in 10th place, was slicing his way through the field.

He weaved in and out of traffic, shoving his Chevrolet into three-wide lines, eventually darting his way to McMurray’s bumper. It was vintage Earnhardt — he’s a 12-time Daytona winner spanning NASCAR’s top two series — and McMurray was terrified to see him growing in his rearview mirror.

”When I saw the 88 behind me, I thought, ‘Oh no.’ He had a good car and I just thought — Earnhardt and Daytona, they win all the time it just seems like,” McMurray said. ”You never know what to expect.”

But with just two laps to make up so much ground, Earnhardt ran out of time and had to settle for second as McMurray sailed to his first career Daytona 500 victory.

”I didn’t know where I was, you know, ’til I really kind of got done almost wrecking down the back straightaway,” Earnhardt said of his charge. ”Then I looked up — there’s just one car in front of me, ‘Jamie’s gonna win this damn race!’

”I was happy for him. He deserves it. They’ve been through a lot. It’s a great team.”

McMurray climbed from his car and ran to the Daytona 500 logo in the infield, dropping to his knees and pounding on the painted grass. Overcome with emotion, he sobbed in Victory Lane as he celebrated with his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team.

It was McMurray’s first race back with Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates, who gave him his Sprint Cup Series shot in 2002. But McMurray left and spent four frustrating seasons with Roush Fenway Racing, only to lose that ride at the end of last season when NASCAR forced Roush to drop a team to meet its four-car limit.

McMurray had to fight to get a seat back with Ganassi, and it included convincing sponsor Bass Pro Shops’ owner Johnny Morris to take a chance on him.

The risk was well rewarded Sunday with the biggest win of McMurray’s career.

”It’s unreal,” McMurray sobbed. ”You know, to be where I was last year and for Johnny Morris and Chip and Felix. What a way to pay them back. It’s just very emotional.”

Biffle, a close friend of McMurray’s, was disappointed in finishing third because he was the leader when the caution came out after the first green-white-checkered attempt. But he was able to give McMurray the push that got his buddy into Victory Lane.

”I just made my move too soon, a mistake on my part probably,” Biffle said. ”This is a big, big win for anybody’s career. You got to be happy for anybody that ever wins this race. I was especially happy, the guys I was up there beating and banging with, you know, I would rather see Jamie win than those guys.”

Clint Bowyer finished fourth and was followed by David Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. — teammates for Michael Waltrip, who finished 18th in what’s expected to be his final Daytona 500.

Kevin Harvick was seventh and was followed by Matt Kenseth, last year’s race winner, Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya, McMurray’s teammate.

After the race, DIS president Robin Braig apologized for the hole and the delays that caused many fans to head to the exits long before the finish.

”We’re the World Center of Racing. This is the Daytona 500. This is not supposed to happen, and I take full responsibility,” Braig said. ”We can come back from this. We know how to fix it. This is hallowed ground. We understand that. We accept the responsibility.”

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yesterday, Jamie McMurray won the 2010 Daytona 500 behind the wheel of his number 1 Chevrolet leading only two laps, the least in Daytona 500 history. He beat out Dale Earnhardt Jr who placed second, and Greg Biffle third. McMurray humbly cried after the race showing great respect for the men who previously won this historic race.

In 1999, McMurray made 4 starts in the Craftsman Truck series. In 2000, he ran 15 Craftsman Truck races and posted 1 top-five and 4 top-ten finishes.

In 2001 and 2002, he competed full-time in the NASCAR Busch Series, driving the #27 Williams Travel Centers Chevrolet Monte Carlo. The latter year turned out better for McMurray, as he won two races and finished sixth in the overall points standings.

Before the fall race at Richmond in 2002, Chip Ganassi announced McMurray as the driver of a Texaco-Havoline sponsored Dodge in 2003. Ganassi planned to have Jamie drive the #42 Dodge for seven races in 2002. Those plans were accelerated when Sterling Marlin fractured a vertebra at the Winston Cup Race at Kansas Speedway.

At the end of 2009, he left Roush Fenway Racing to drive for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the #1 car, replacing Martin Truex, Jr who signed to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing. His departure came as Roush Fenway was forced by a new NASCAR policy implemented a few years prior that limited the amount of cars a race team could have to four, and the #26 was the team Roush Fenway chose to cut. McMurray will reunite with Chip Ganassi in the upcoming Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

The Daytona 500 is the only event with a unique qualifying system on the NASCAR circuit.  In the primary qualifying, only the front row (the pole position and the second fastest driver) are locked into the race positions.  Since 2005, NASCAR’s top 35 owners points standings from the previous season automatically qualifies those teams (not the drivers) into the event.  The top two teams that are not within the owners’ Top 35, automatically qualify in the Gatorade Duels, a pair of 150 miles (240 km) races. This is followed by a combination of last years’ owners points, pole qualifying speed and if needed, a past champions’ provisional fills out the field.

Qualifying

One round of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series timed qualifying will be held. Each team may run two laps with the fast lap setting the qualifying time. The two fastest qualifiers set starting positions one and two and are the only guaranteed positions, filling the front row for the Daytona 500. • The Gatorade Duels, the 150-mile qualifying races, will determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 beyond the front row. In the event of cancellation, the field will be set according to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book.

The 2009 Daytona 500, the fifty-first running of Daytona 500, was the first points-paying race to open the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.  The race won by Matt Kenseth with car number 17 on February 15 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach.  The Colombian, Juan Pablo Montoya finished in 14^th position, and the race was called off with 48 laps to go after a severe rainstorm that had been lingering throughout the area hit the track.

Who is your favorite for Sunday’s Daytona 500?

A week after the Super Bowl, the USA shares, the same day, two other events that will paralize the country… and hundreds of thousand more fans around the world.  This Sunday, February 14th several million viewers will sit in front of their televisions to enjoy the begining of the 52nd Annual Daytona 500, and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas.

The approximately twenty million spectators who will watch the stock car race will add to the more than 200.000 who will crowd the stands and the inside of the 4.023 meter three-oval racetrack near Daytona Beach.  Many of them will go to see the NASCAR myth, , number 48, Jimmie Johnson who managed a third position for Sunday’s lineup.  The thing being that, the pilot from El Cajón, CA, aspires to his fifth Sprint Cup consecutive title.
Obviously, his rivals will do what is in their hands to prevent him from a new title, specially, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Robbie Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin and the Busch, Kyle and Kurt, who pretend to ruin Johnson’s party of a five-time-championship.  At Daytona, Martin will have the pole position, but the 3.5 hr test might bring many surprises.  The 200 laps to the speedway by the 43 top pilots at more than 300 kilometers an hour, guarantee an extraordinary exhibition with passings, collisions and a lot of adrenaline.

Yesterday, the Daytona International Speedway was the stage of the two 150-mile qualifying races where Kasey Kahne won the Gatorade Duel 2 by .014 seconds driving his Ford . Tony Stewart crossed the finishing line second at the wheel of his Chevrolet, while Juan Montoya’s Chevrolet got third.  On his part, Jimmie Johnson won the Gatorade Duel 1 by .005 seconds ahead of Kevin Harvick who came in second. Kyle Busch won third place.

This leaves the ground set for February 14^th (next Sunday) Daytona 500 were the lineup will be as follows: No. 1 Mark Martin, No. 2 Dale Earnhard Jr., No. 3 Jimmie Johnson, No. 4 Kasey Kahne and No.5 Kevin Harvick, all of the behind the steering wheels of Chevrolets, except for Kahne who will drive his Ford.

NASCAR’s format for the opener, Pole Day locks in the top-two qualifiers for next Sunday’s (Feb. 14) Daytona 500 and establishes starting positions for Thursday’s 60-lap, 150-mile qualifying races. The results from the two 150-milers will determine the starting field — positions 3-43 — for the 500.

So it was a bitter sweet day for Ryan Newman who got third position at the Daytona 500 last Saturday, February 6th. As he did last year at the opening Sprint Cup event, he was the third fastest in Pole Day time trials at Daytona International Speedway.

“It would have been nice to lock in one of those front row spots for the 500,” said Newman, who was the second of 54 drivers to make a qualifying lap. “But overall we had a strong performance and I look for more of the same next week. I want to give a shout-out to all the Soldiers–we are doing our best for you.”

In Saturday’s two-lap qualifying show, Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet covered the 2.5-mile oval in 47.225 seconds at 190.577 miles per hour.

He was a few ticks slower than the top-two qualifiers — Mark Martin (pole winner) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (outside pole). Martin’s lap time/speed was 47.074 at 191.188 while Earnhardt’s was 47.142 at 190.913.

It’s worth mentioning that the top-three cars are Chevrolets and are powered by Hendrick engines. Rounding out the top five were Bill Elliott (fourth) and Juan Pablo Montoya (fifth).

“It was shaky out there because the wind was tricky,” added Newman about his qualifying laps. “There was no good way to read the wind. A couple of things happened during the lap that I wish didn’t happen, but the wind was hard to predict. It was a great effort by the U.S. Army Chevrolet. Tony Gibson (crew chief) and all the guys did an outstanding job. From now until the 500 we need to be smart and get this Soldiers’ car ready for the big race.”

Newman’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Tony Stewart, was 21st fastest and will start 11th in Thursday’s second qualifying race.

The Cup series resumed practices on last week on Wednesday. The 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday were televised on SPEED.

There are people who are putting a lot of pressure on only one man, namely, Dale Earnhardt Jr., suggesting that if he won several races during 2010, NASCAR’s difficult situation would improve significantly.

Regarding this, Felix Sebates -minority owner of the Earnhardt Ganassi cars of Montoya and Jamie McMurray-, said “I think Dale Earnhardt’s lack of winning the last two years have really hurt the sport overall, because everyone expected him to be the leader.”  “He has not been the leader. I hope he wins a bunch of races [in 2010] because if he wins a bunch of races, he’ll bring fans back to the race track. He’s good for everybody. I hope we win our fare share, but I want Junior to win a bunch of races. I really do.”

On his part, Kyle Petty, former driver and current television analyst said, “You’re putting too much pressure on one guy.” “If our sport depends on Dale Jr., then this sport is hurting, period.

Humpy Wheeler seems to agree. The consultant and longtime race track promoter doesn’t believe Earnhardt winning again would be enough to foster a NASCAR revival by itself. “It’s going to take more than that,” he said. “If Earnhardt Jr. could win a couple of races and battle maybe [Juan] Montoya, and trade some paint doing it, and let Tony Stewart get in the mix too, that’s what’s going to pep things up and move the needle and get the phones to ring. Junior by himself winning a race passively — by passively, I mean fuel mileage or something like that — that’s not going to click the meter.”

So maybe multiple trips to Victory Lane by the No. 88 car wouldn’t be enough to raise NASCAR back to its early-2000s height. But clearly, they wouldn’t hurt. Anyone who has ever been to a race track when Earnhardt takes the lead has heard the roar, powerful enough to be noticed over the sound of 43 engines. So a complete turnaround? No, maybe that’s too much to ask of Earnhardt. But a spark? That’s something else altogether.

Jeff Behnke, executive producer and senior vice president at Turner Sports — the parent company of NASCAR broadcast partner TNT, and, in the interest of full disclosure, NASCAR.COM — believes an Earnhardt comeback would also be reflected in television ratings.  “I think the ratings would go up. Our job is to talk about all 43 drivers, which we do. But the answer is, yeah, he’s been the most popular driver for however many years running now, and there are reasons for that. You just see it when he takes the lead in a race. You see the grandstands, and they go berserk.”

Look, nobody wants to get back to where he was as a very, very high-performing driver more than Dale Jr. I met with him [in January], and he wants to return and so does Rick Hendrick, and if it does, it will help NASCAR, no question about that. But that’s sports. We’ll have to let it play out,” explained NASCAR chariman.  “Even someone of his status has a relatively limited reach. It’s likely a gross overstatement to say that a revival of Dale Earnhardt Jr. would translate into a revival for NASCAR itself.”

“I get a really good feeling from Dale Jr. this year. I really do, no joke,” said Petty, who spoke with Earnhardt. “I think he’s excited about this year. He’s excited like he was when he was 16 and going to run Caraway and going to run Concord. He has a little of that spark when you talk to him. If he turns it around, it’s going to be huge for the sport. It’s going to be big for his fans, it’s going to be big for the sport, it’s going to be big for everybody, because the tide will rise and the ships will float with him.”

We’ll see what happens.  For the time being, Dale will be starting second –behind teammate Mark Martin-, in the Feb. 14 Daytona 500, at the Daytona International Speedway, his best qualifying position since starting second last year at Kansas. It’s the first time he’s been on the front row for a restrictor-plate race, where seven of his 18 career wins have come, since 2003.

Last Saturday, Mark Martin secured his pole position for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, which will take place February 14, 2010.

Behind the steering wheel of his number 5 Chevrolet, the 51 year old driver from Arkansas managed to earn the pole position driving at more than 191 mph at 191.188.  Next, on second place came Dale Earnhardt Jr., followed by Ryan Newman driving his number 39 Chevrolet.

Saturday’s qualifying decided only the front-row spots for the 500. The rest of the lineup will be set after Thursday’s two 150-mile qualifying races. Drivers who finished in the top 35 of last year’s owners standings are guaranteed to start somewhere.