Daytona qualifying races get longer and will have new name
The qualifying races that help set the field for the Daytona 500 will be 25 miles longer and have a new name in 2005.
The races, formerly called the Gatorade 125s, will now be known as the Gatorade Duel at Daytona.
Each race will now go for 150 miles, a move that could force teams to adjust their pit-stop strategies at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
There also will be a longer break between the races, which will be held on Thursday, Feb. 17, during Speedweeks in 2005.
The qualifying races began in 1959 for the first Daytona 500 and were 100 miles each until 1969, when they were extended to 125.
Qualifying for the 2005 Daytona 500 will begin on Sunday, Feb. 13. Only the two fastest cars secure starting spots for the 500 on that day, the front-row spots on the starting grid.
Speeds from that qualifying session are used to determine the lineup for the Gatorade Duel, with drivers in odd-numbered positions in the qualifying results in the first 150-miler and those in the even-numbered slots going into the second qualifying race.
The top-14 finishers - aside from the driver already assured of a front-row spot in the 500 - in each qualifier will line up in order of finish starting with Row 2 for the 500. Finishers from the first Duel race will get the inside spots on each row, with finishers from the second getting the outside spots.
The remaining spots in the 43-car field are awarded based on qualifying speeds and provisionals.
The qualifying races that help set the field for the Daytona 500 will be 25 miles longer and have a new name in 2005.
The races, formerly called the Gatorade 125s, will now be known as the Gatorade Duel at Daytona.
Each race will now go for 150 miles, a move that could force teams to adjust their pit-stop strategies at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
There also will be a longer break between the races, which will be held on Thursday, Feb. 17, during Speedweeks in 2005.
The qualifying races began in 1959 for the first Daytona 500 and were 100 miles each until 1969, when they were extended to 125.
Qualifying for the 2005 Daytona 500 will begin on Sunday, Feb. 13. Only the two fastest cars secure starting spots for the 500 on that day, the front-row spots on the starting grid.
Speeds from that qualifying session are used to determine the lineup for the Gatorade Duel, with drivers in odd-numbered positions in the qualifying results in the first 150-miler and those in the even-numbered slots going into the second qualifying race.
The top-14 finishers - aside from the driver already assured of a front-row spot in the 500 - in each qualifier will line up in order of finish starting with Row 2 for the 500. Finishers from the first Duel race will get the inside spots on each row, with finishers from the second getting the outside spots.
The remaining spots in the 43-car field are awarded based on qualifying speeds and provisionals.
