By STEVE BALLARD
The Indianapolis Star

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Identical Twins, each decided by pit stops and teammates hooking up together at the front, put a face on what the 45th Daytona 500 could look like as the 43-car field was determined Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

In the first Twin 125-mile qualifying race, Richard Childress Racing teammates Robby Gordon and Jeff Green stuck together to finish first and second, the order determined by a slight Green miscue on pit road.

In the second race, the Dale Earnhardt Inc. duo of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip was dominant again, just as they have been in winning six of the last eight NASCAR Winston Cup events on the superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega, Ala.

That race, too, had a telling moment on pit road when Kurt Busch came in too fast and cut in front of RCR driver Kevin Harvick, creating a collision. Both were knocked out of contention. It was particularly frustrating for Harvick, who had managed to pass Earnhardt and lead 10 laps early.

"Busch came in at about 500 mph and couldn't stop," Harvick said. "He was driving way over his head and it ended up costing us big."

After his second win inside a week, with a chance of two more before he leaves, Earnhardt stirred up the DEI-RCR rivalry with a few well-chosen words for the drivers who have followed his late father to Richard Childress' team.

"I always wish Richard well. I don't necessarily see eye-to-eye with every one of his drivers," Earnhardt said. "But they ain't been there that long and they might not be there for much longer."

Prodded to amplify, Earnhardt said he was upset last year when the RCR drivers seemed more inclined to help themselves than help each other as the team struggled.

"It's tough having teammates sometimes," he said. "Teammates can be good, or they be worse to you than just another competitor. Richard Childress is busting his butt over there. I don't think they appreciate what he is in this sport."

Those biting words should make for an interesting start to Sunday's race, which will have Green on the pole, Earnhardt next to him and Gordon and Waltrip side-by-side on the second row.

Should they still be together at the end, Earnhardt has no doubt about which twosome would prevail.

"With them, yes, Michael and I definitely would win a tag team drafting match," he said.

Green and Gordon talked and acted like best buddies Thursday. Green led the first 31 laps and Gordon the last 17 of the 50-lap sprint. Green sealed his own fate when he pulled too deep into his pit box and was blocked in by the car of Jeff Burton, allowing Gordon to get out first.

"I don't think anyone could have passed either of us," Green said. "When I got behind him, I did the same thing (he had done) and helped him. That's what teammates are for. If one RCR car gets into victory lane Sunday, it's going to be worth it to every one of us."

Earnhardt's father won 12 Twin 125s, including 10 in a row (1990-99). But he never won four races in one February visit, which Earnhardt Jr. now has a chance to do. He won the Budweiser Shootout last Saturday night and has front row starting positions for Saturday's Busch Series race and Sunday's main event.

Gordon was intent on getting in the way of those plans even before Earnhardt threw down the gauntlet.

"I heard Junior say he hopes he can sweep this deal," Gordon said. "My goal is that he doesn't."

The top 14 finishers beyond Green and Earnhardt, who already were assured of front-row starting positions from their qualifying speeds, advanced to fill positions 3-30 on Sunday's grid. The next six spots went to the remaining cars with the fastest qualifying times, which included Harvick and former open-wheel driver Christian Fittipaldi. The final seven are provisionals awarded on the basis of last year's owners' points standings.

Among those needing a provisional was 2002 Rookie of the Year Ryan Newman, who finished 22nd in the second Twin 125.

"We had some problems coming into the pits and it was a long race after that," he said. "Maybe we've used up all of our bad luck."

NASCAR drivers favored in IROC series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Every year, open-wheel and World of Outlaws drivers try to wrest dominance of the International Race of Champions series away from NASCAR drivers.

And every year, they fail.

On Friday, 12 drivers - seven from three separate NASCAR series - will kick off the 2003 season by going head-to-head with drivers from the IRL IndyCar Series and the World of Outlaws. And once again, the NASCAR gang is favored to dominate the four-race series.

The last time a NASCAR driver failed to claim the championship was 1988, when IndyCar driver Al Unser Jr. won the second of his two titles.

Friday, NASCAR Winston Cup stars Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and defending series champ Kevin Harvick will square off against 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champ Mike Bliss (now running in NASCAR's Busch Series) and 2002 Busch champ Greg Biffle (now of Winston Cup).

Representing the World of Outlaws will be Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski.

Felipe Giaffone, defending IRL champ Sam Hornish and two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves will represent IRL in the 40-lap, 100-mile event that goes off at 11 a.m.

Kinser and Lasoski will start in the front row. The drivers compete in identically prepared Pontiac Firebird races cars.

Harvick, for one, is excited about racing in the series.

"Mark (Martin) will probably tell you this. I once had a conversation with him and he said, 'You know what ... that last IROC championship I won (1998), I earned by beating Dale Earnhardt. That's the one thing I'll remember the most about my racing career.'

"So that tells you how special an IROC championship is."

--- By MARK DeCOTIS, Florida Today

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