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| Big day for RFR and Ford. |
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said
Edwards after his pole-winning run. “This is very special. It’s not a driving
accomplishment, this is a team accomplishment. There’s a lot of pride in this
for everyone. I’m excited to have all the guys back at the shop this week know
they sent the best racecars down to Daytona.”
Sunday’s “Great American
Race” will mark the third-consecutive year that teammates will lead the 43-car
field to the green flag. For the first time, Roush Fenway Racing will do the
honors with Edwards starting alongside teammate Greg Biffle. “It’s a sign of
the strength of the team,” Edwards said. “It’s not that we just have one car up
there. To have that whole front row says a lot about Roush Fenway Racing and
Ford.”
The last driver to win the
Daytona 500 from the pole was Dale Jarrett, who turned the trick in 2000.
Biffle, who was the last
Roush driver to win the pole for the Daytona 500 in 2004, wheeled his No.16 3M
Ford to the second-fastest lap of 194.087 mph – just .155 seconds slower than
Edwards. The entire top 10 posted blistering speeds, with just .270 seconds
separating them.
“I’d run the Gatorade Duel
tonight if I could,” said an animated Biffle afterward. “I can’t wait for the
150s. I can’t wait for practice. I want to get in the car and go. I’m just
juiced up.”
Ford took four of the
top-five positions in qualifying; the first time that Ford has swept the front
row since David Gilliland and Ricky Rudd did it in 2007. Team owner Jack Roush
was jubilant for both his team and manufacturer, saying, “We did great today.
Doug Yates and the guys in the engine shop did a nice job. Robbie Reiser and
the folks in the chassis and body shop built nice cars and the teams prepared
them well. We worked all winter getting ready for this. It’s just the
beginning. We hope we can put it together for the Twin 150s and for the 500
next Sunday.”
Of the 49 cars that
attempted to qualify yesterday, 14 were required to qualify on time. Three drivers
locked-in Daytona 500 starting spots with their qualifying speeds; defending
Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne (193.615), Tony Raines (192.534) and David
Stremme (191.963). Former series champion Terry Labonte will also start the
race via the Past Champion’s Provisional.
Sunday’s qualifying session
also determined the starting line-ups for Thursday’s Gatorade Duel at Daytona.
Edwards will lead the first race, while Biffle will start from the pole in second
150-lap event.
Clint Bowyer, who had posted
the 22nd-fastest lap, will drop to the back of the field in the second Duel after
his 5-Hour Energy Toyota failed to pass post-qualifying inspection. The
violation will not affect his starting position in the Daytona 500.
Speedweeks 2012 resumes at
Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, Feb. 22 with NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series practice at noon.
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