Many say they feel the Dodge camp has been sandbagging with their cars as well. After running the slowest speeds in practice in January, the new Dodges captured the first three starting positions for the Daytona 500. The 500-day clock developed for Dodge's return to stock car racing struck midnight Saturday. The car company, which officially withdrew its support on the stock car circuit in 1978, established a 500-day countdown nearly two years ago. In the past 500 days, the racing concept for the Intrepid went from a computer screen to the race track.
Drivers continue to say engine temperatures are alarmingly high in race conditions.
If temperatures become an issue, drivers in a Ford Taurus may have the advantage. During a two-day test session at Daytona last January, Fords spent most of the time testing new grilles, radiators and ductwork to keep their engines cool. The other manufacturers spent the time working on speed. A possible answer may have come several minutes earlier during Jeff Gordon 's qualifying run. Gordon and Nadeau are teammates at Hendrick Motorsports.