Earnhardt wins IROC opener

He beat 1999 NASCAR Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart to the flag by a scant 0.124s after 40 laps.

Early in the race, the battle for the lead had been an Earnhardt family affair, as polesitter Dale fought with son and NASCAR Winston Cup rookie Dale Jr. Stewart, Jeff Burton and 1999 NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett were the other drivers involved in the battle for the victory.

Burton actually led into the final lap only for Earnhardt Sr and Stewart to draft past.

'I knew he was going to come up there, but experience prevailed,' said Earnhardt. 'He did it a lap too soon and gave me a chance to get some help from Stewart and Dale Jr and take the lead off turn two.

'It was a great race and a lot of fun all day. To win a race of cars that are built as equal as they can be and to race against (drivers with) a lot of wins, a lot of championships and a lot of experience, it makes you feel good to be competitive.'

The field was mostly made up of NASCAR drivers, joined by Indy Racing League stars Eddie Cheever, Mark Dismore and Greg Ray. For the first time, no CART drivers are competing in the IROC series this season.

The next IROC round is at Talladega on April 15.

IROC results from Daytona: