Ford teams slowest in Daytona practice, blame rules

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- White-knuckle racing during the Daytona 500 is probably a thing of the past. After a pair of multi-car crashes in two restrictor-plate races last year, that's a good thing, right?

Maybe not.

NASCAR got its first real look at the new rules package for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Friday with two Winston Cup practice sessions. As expected, a flurry of complaints followed, ranging from predictions of a boring race to the Fords claiming they are at a disadvantage.

NASCAR tuned it all out, saying it would sit back and wait before deciding if the race scheduled for Feb. 17 would be run under the current rules package -- implemented late last season in response to driver complaints about dangerous racing at Daytona and Talladega.

"We're pretty comfortable where we are right now, but there's always room for some tweaking," NASCAR spokes-man Jim Hunter said. "The hardest thing for us is to wade through all this lobbying and see where we really are. We can't do that in one day of practice."

Three of the four Chevrolets from Hendrick Motorsports were the fastest cars of the day, with rookie Jimmie Johnson posting the top lap at 185.033 mph in the morning session.

The Ford of Ricky Rudd was the next-fastest make at 184.740. Ward Burton had the fastest Dodge at 184.098 and Johnny Benson the quickest Pontiac at 183.329.

Even though Rudd and Robert Yates Racing teammate Dale Jarrett, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, were the two fastest Fords, there was a steep drop-off among the Tauruses trailing them. The five cars of Roush Racing were particularly slow, with Mark Martin bringing up the rear at 180.014 mph.

"It was a rough morning," car owner Jack Roush complained.

The Fords have already gotten one concession in the rules, with a quarter-inch taken away from the rear spoiler after teams complained about slow speeds in the January test session at Daytona International Speedway.

Rudd called the relief a "token gesture," and doubted a Taurus would make the front row when the first two starting spots for the race are set Saturday in qualifying.

"You won't see a Ford on the front row, and if you do, it will be an awful big shock," Rudd said. "All you have to do is look at the speeds."