Daytona Ford test – day three: Burton tops

Burton set a fastest lap of 180.126mph in his Roush Racing Taurus, but with the 20 teams present shifting their emphasis to multi-car drafting practice, the Ford hordes got their first real taste of how potent the Taurus will be in race conditions.

Rusty Wallace was fastest in the draft, setting an average speed of 187.719mph in his Penske South Taurus after hooking up to a seven-car train. But many of Ford's leading runners believe the Taurus will be at a disadvantage in qualifying and race trim compared to Chevrolet's Monte Carlo and the Pontiac Grand Prix.

"It's hard to say until we get everybody here," said 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett, "but I still think, at least in qualifying trim, that the Fords are gonna be off some. It's our guess that we'll still be off a little bit in the drag department."

The latest restrictor plate regulations, designed to keep speeds at manageable levels on the superspeedways, give more power, but more drag, for the 2001 season. The drivers believe this will give an exciting race on February 18, but that it will be a lottery.

"I think the '500' is gonna be something else," said Wallace. "I think you're gonna be able to throw a blanket over the entire field when they cross the line. It's just gonna be bumper cars out there, I think."

GM takes over at the 2.5-mile Florida tri-oval today (Thursday) and tomorrow, with Dodge taking over on Sunday and Monday. The Daytona 500, the opening race of the 36-round NASCAR Winston Cup, takes place on February 18.


1 Jeff Burton (Roush Racing) 49.965s 180.126mph
2 Elliott Sadler (Wood Bros) 50.124 179.555
3 Dale Jarrett (Robert Yates Racing) 50.169 179.394


1 Rusty Wallace (Penske South) 47.944s 187.719mph
2 Kurt Busch (Roush Racing) 48.001 187.496
3 Dale Jarrett (Robert Yates Racing) 48.043 187.332