Earnhardt, Irvan Win Twin 125-Mile Races In Daytona

02/16/96

Both Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan won their respective races in the Twin Gatorade 125-mile qualifying races for the Daytona 500. Earnhardt beat Sterling Marlin in the first race, while Irvan beat Ken Schrader.

Earnhardt's field had seven Daytona 500 winners in it and saw tough competition among Earnhardt, Sterling Marlin, Dale Jarrett and Terry Labonte. Rain slowed the race, but the average speed was 143.039 mph. Earnhardt's margin of victory over Sterling Marlin was about three car lengths, or 0.16 seconds. The rain slick track saw a wreck during lap 44 of the race. Bobby Hillin Jr. and Brett Bodine touched coming out of turn two, Bodine nudged Bobby Labonte who was in a slide, Labonte flipped and traveled the backstretch on his roof. Labonte was not hurt.

There were no wrecks in the second race, and Irvan managed to lead the pack of 8 front runners throughout the whole race. Winning by only half a car length after Ken Schrader and Jeff Gordon tried to put the move on him in turn two of the last lap. On turn four Gordon tried to move high around Schrader, and John Andretti moved in low behind Irvan. Irvan finished first and the other three cars finished three wide with Schrader following closest on Irvan's high side and Andretti barely beating Gordon. Average speed for the second race was 186.027 mph.

Earnhardt and Irvan will be in the front row for the start of the Daytona 500, Marlin and Schrader make up row two, Terry Labonte and John Andretti in three, Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon in four, and Wally Dallenbach and Ricky Rudd in row five.

Time trial speeds locked in positions 31-38. They went to Rick Mast, Lake Speed, Kenny Wallace, Jeff Purvis, Bobby Labonte, Ricky Craven, Joe Nemechek and former Daytona winner Geoff Bodine

Bobby Hamilton, Darrell Waltrip, Brett Bodine, and Hut Stricklin took provisional positions at the back of the field based on last year's car owner points. Rusty Wallace will bring up the rear of the field. He is starting in the provisional position reserved for former series champions. Wallace was forced to race through the pit after getting squeezed off the track in the second qualifying race.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel