Dale Earnhardt won a Daytona 500 qualifying race for the eighth year in a row today, increasing his record of victories at Daytona International Speedway to 29.

Defending Daytona 500 champion Dale Jarrett won the first of the 125-mile qualifying races to set most of the field for Sunday's season opener.

Earnhardt went to the front in his Chevrolet on the 19th of 50 laps - passing John Andretti in the only lead change of the race - and stayed there the rest of the way. He beat Jeff Gordon by three car lengths to take the fourth starting position in the Daytona 500, the only major event the seven-time Winston Cup champion has not won.

The 45-year-old Earnhardt is seeking his first victory in 19 Daytona 500 starts and trying to break a rare 27-race losing streak in Winston Cup competition.

Gordon's Chevy was followed by the Ford of two-time Daytona 500 winner Bill Elliott, the Chevy of Ken Schrader and Michael Waltrip's Ford. Earnhardt averaged 162.749 mph in a race slowed once for four laps of caution.