way to go juan pablo...you made it look easy. not too badly placed, starting the race on the second row. let's see if he can say out of trouble, get a little lucky and write another chapter in history!!
We watched part of the pole qualifying - JPM held 3rd place for quite a while. Hope he does well next weekend. I would have much rather seen him on pole than that rookie wearing the snickers suit (or whatever candy bar). Carol
Like to see Boris (in the underfunded effort, compared to CGRWFSR) in 6th, too. Bodes well for "our" guys!
In any other NASCAR race, he would start on the second row. Daytona is different, qualifying only sets the first 2 places (and pit box selection). positions will be determined by the following process: * most important -- teams that finished in the top 35 last year are guaranteed a starting spot for the first 5 races of the season. JPM is driving for a team with a guaranteed spot * So 1) Qualifying locks in P1 and P2 2) The field is then split into 2 groups based on odd/even splitting of qualifying speeds. There are 2 races on Thursday, and from these 2 races the starting order for the 500 is determined based on finishing order in the duals. The best 4 cars that aren't in the previous year top 35 also go through. At this point you have between 39 and 41 spots filled (depending on whether the P1 and P2 spots went to previous top 35 teams) 3) The LAST spot goes to the most recent previous champion that's not driving for a top 35 team, and didn't get one of the 4 open transfer spots. In this case, it will likely be Dale Jarrett running a new-for-2007 Toyota Camry 4) Depending on how all that works out, that leaves between 1 and 4 spots open in the 43 that are determined by actual (non-front row) qualifying speeds. Confusing, no? Fortunately, that's only for the Daytona 500.
Thank you for explaining that. I thought Montoya wasn't guaranteed to start from the 4th position. I never had interest in Nascar but now I will watch it(when no other auto racing is on) to see how Montoya is doing. I really hope he does well. I will miss his aggressive driving style and colorful personality in F1. Yet it will be entertaining to see how other driver respond to him in Nascar.
pk...so true. it is great to see boris get the big oval opportunity. i was telling my girlfriend his story and how he entered in and got his first chance on the good track in ny. it is really great to see boris making a great living doing what he loves and showing al the fans the talent he has. i just hope people know or care enough to learn about where and what form of racing he cut his teeth! and thank you tillman for the qually explanation as it relates to montoya. i too am actually excited to see his results this year. there is an awfull lot of luck that carries one to a 500 mile race victory but i hope he shows well. he has clearly shown no problem getting up to speed in the nascar qually format (which was cited as a problem for other road racers over the years:like john paul jr...others). it seems it is a bit disconcerting throwing 3500 lbs into the wind on cold tires...montoya is playing it super cool!!! i hope he remains a bit humble for a while. make no mistake, my hyde will appear and it's gonna be exciting! pcb
JPM does have oval experiance but with open wheelers. Same concept, lots less power and traction. A different tightrope to walk on but yes he is doing well. I like your hyde comment !
Can anyone direct me to the qualifying list? Remember life is a b*tch for the first 100 years, then it's all down hill. Dr. Phil B*tch is a female dog.
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2007/1/data/lineup.html That's qualifying results, not starting order, which will be determined as discussed above
The Twin 125's on Thursday, I think now are 150's, are two of the most exciting races you can ever watch in person. Not much is held back by the drivers. Its right up there with ANY other race you care to suggest. As for qualifying, assuming you have a good handling reliable car, the most important factor in winning the Daytona 500 is a driver's ability to use the draft (slipstreaming). The masters of that are the Stewart's, Gordan's, Earnhardt's, etc. Irrespective of where Montoya starts the race, getting a grip on the art of drafting will be his only hope.
IMHO JPM got a handle on the drafting pretty quick. I think it's obvious that the other drivers have already treated him with respect and will not boot him around for fun. I also say he will win a race or 2 and do well. But then I have tried crow before. Spice the hell out of it, get real drunk. It's not bad.
