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Thursday, July 5
Rain, rain go away
ESPN.com news services
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The return of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series to Daytona International Speedway has been an on-again, off-again affair. After a delay of over three-hours on Friday due to inclement weather, it is on again.
|  | | Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 8 Chevrolet is reflected in a pool of water from rainy Daytona on Thursday. |
Lightning and heavy rain delayed qualifying for Saturday's Pepsi 400 race shortly after 2 p.m. ET on Friday with Sterling Marlin tentatively sitting on the pole.
On the 10th anniversary of winning his first Winston Cup pole, Marlin drove his Dodge around the 2½-mile track at 183.778 mph, an impressive 0.7 mph faster than of Ward Burton, who turned a fast lap at 183.072.
Rookie Casey Atwood was next at 182.597, giving Dodge the three fastest cars. Winston Cup points leader Jeff Gordon was fourth in a Chevrolet after 37 of 48 drivers completed their runs.
Thirty-seven of 48 cars ran two laps each before rain delayed qualifying.
Among those who will attempt to qualify for Saturday night's race after the long wait are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin.
Qualify was rescheduled for Friday afternoon after rain postponed racing on Thursday night.
The Pepsi 400 is NASCAR's first race at Daytona since the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, when Winston Cup legend Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash in the final turn of the final lap.
That has cast a pall over the weekend.
"We all have Dale on our minds," said Winston Cup points leader Jeff Gordon, who won this race in 1996 and 1998. "We always have him on our minds, but it will really hit home this weekend."
The track dried enough late Thursday that all 48 cars were able to practice. Mike Skinner, Earnhardt's former teammate at Richard Childress Racing, turned in the fastest lap at 184.923 mph. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sixth fastest at 182.726 mph. Michael Waltrip, who won the Daytona 500 earlier this year, was 38th at 180.639 mph.
Gordon carries a 126-point lead over Dale Jarrett into Saturday night's race. Ricky Rudd is third, 19 points behind Jarrett.
Jeff Burton captured last year's Pepsi 400, taking the lead off a restart with 39 laps remaining.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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