Edwards wins pole for season-opening Daytona 500

[Doomsday101]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) Carl Edwards fell bitterly short in last season's bid to win the NASCAR championship.

He's starting 2012 out front.

Edwards, who lost the championship last season on a tie-breaker to Tony Stewart, won the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500, beating teammate Greg Biffle for the top starting spot during a windy Sunday qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway.

Edwards turned a lap at 194.738 mph - the fastest pole-winning speed since Jeff Gordon's lap of 195.067 mph in 1999. Biffle was second at 194.087 to give Ford and Roush Fenway Racing a sweep of the front row.

"It's so neat to come down here and to be so fast and to really have fun qualifying here," Edwards said. "These are the best race cars we've ever had at Daytona. Coming down here I didn't even consider the pole, so this is huge."



Read more: http://sports.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/racing/story.asp?i=20120219154503756872908#ixzz1mwGGd3Ck

 

[Risen Star]

The Fords are unusually strong this year. It's typically a Chevy day in qualifying.

 

[Doomsday101]

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France is taking measures to address reducing two-car tandem racing at Daytona and Talladega.

"The fans want a mixture of styles including a return to a more traditional 'pack racing' and that close side-by-side competition that's unique to Talladega and Daytona," France said at NASCAR's annual press conference.

Changes will be made to the cars including adding a slightly larger restrictor plate, a smaller spoiler and softer springs. The adjustments will take effect at Daytona.

The changes will "help the qualifying be more exciting...aid in getting back to the more traditional pack style drafting that we've come to expect at Daytona and Talladega," said NASCAR's vice president of competition Robin Pemberton.

http://www.wcyb.com/sports/30344143/detail.html

 

[Cajuncowboy]

The Fords are unusually strong this year. It's typically a Chevy day in qualifying.

Roush has some rockets this year. Even the times in practice were pretty good.