RUSTY 16TH FASTEST IN DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING;
STARTS EIGHTH IN SECOND 125-MILE QUALIFIER ON THURSDAY

After posting the 19th-fastest lap in Saturday's practice (47.978 sec./187.586 mph) and finishing sixth in Saturday night's Bud Shootout, Miller Lite Dodge driver Rusty Wallace posted the 16th-fastest lap in Sunday's qualifying for next Sunday's Daytona 500.

Operating under chilly temperatures and almost gale-force winds, Rusty was the last of 45 drivers to take to the 2.5-mile superspeedway. He turned in a 48.659-second lap on his first circuit and a faster 48.083-second (187.176 mph) lap on his faster second lap.

Rusty's effort was 16th-fastest overall and earned him the eighth starting spot in the second 125-mile qualifying race here at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday.

"I'm really happy with it, believe it or not," Rusty told Dodge's Ray Cooper after making his run. "This wind was terrible, and I was concerned that something crazy was going to happen, but we basically backed up what we did yesterday within a tenth, and that was pretty good with all this wind today I thought. It's amazing how much wind I felt on the back straightaway and then when I came down the front straightaway the tach just took off. We've got a good starting position in the 125, so I'm happy."

In somewhat of a surprise, it was Greg Biffle, driving a Roush Racing Ford, who claimed the pole with a fast lap of 188.387 mph (47.774 seconds). Elliott Sadler, driving a Robert Yates Racing Ford and favored to take the pole, had to settle for the outside front row starting spot after he turned in a lap of 188.355 mph (47.782 seconds).

Only the top two qualifiers are "locked in" for next Sunday's Daytona 500 starting lineup. The remainder of the starting positions will be determined in Thursday's qualifying races.