DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. has disliked Darlington Raceway since his 2000 rookie season debut. A good car quickly went bad, Earnhardt crashed, then worried he'd never make a career as a driver if he couldn't handle NASCAR's oldest superspeedway.

"He's like all but ready to quit, it's that bad, it's like 'There's no way I can race here a million times,' " crew chief Lance McGrew said Earnhardt told him Friday about that 40th-place debut.

When the problem was eventually traced to the car, not the driver, Earnhardt's spirits lifted.

"He was all excited. Here is ready to quit, go get a desk job at a dealership," McGrew said.

Problem is, Earnhardt's comfort level at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped superspeedway has never been very good and it didn't change after a rocky pair of practice sessions Friday.

NASCAR's most popular driver wrecked his primary car on the second lap of practice, moved into his backup, then scraped the wall with that Chevrolet.

"I'll probably hit it a bunch more before the weekend is over with," he grinned. "I don't know man, this place is probably the catalyst for my retirement one day. I'll probably come here when I'm 45 and run a race and say, 'The hell with it.'"

In reality, Darlington isn't that bad of a track for Earnhardt. He's got seven top-10 finishes in 15 career starts, and a 15.1 average finish. From 2004 through 2008, his lowest finish was 11th.

"He's got a lot of good finishes here," McGrew said. "If you really look at it, almost every finish he has is in the top 13. It's just a place he's never been comfortable. Some people deal with it, some people don't."

Earnhardt has to deal with it this weekend, his first race since an awful 32nd-place finish at Richmond last Saturday. It dropped him to 13th in the standings and temporarily out of contention for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Earnhardt Jr. brushed off questions about his Richmond struggles, "I'm just the driver. Go in there and talk to Lance," and said he'd moved on from what turned out to be a disastrous race.

McGrew accepted responsibility for poor strategy, but said he's not that worried about where Earnhardt is in the standings right now. Darlington is the final track where the two have not worked together before -- McGrew was named crew chief midway through last season -- and he's got notes to rely on the remainder of the season.

Besides, Earnhardt is only four points behind Clint Bowyer for 12th-place in the standings right now.

"One race and you could go back to fifth," McGrew said. "It's so close right now that the arbitrary 12 number is not really concerning. It's the total points number that bothers me. If we have a good race here, run in the top 10, it will take care of itself."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Jamie McMurray couldn't help smiling during his record-setting lap at Darlington Raceway. Turned out, he was one of few to leave the track happy.

McMurray set a Darlington record of 180.370 mph to lead qualifying Friday for the Southern 500. Seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon was a whisker behind at 180.323 and Brian Vickers third in 179.987.

All three bettered the old mark that Matt Kenseth set a year ago.

"I was like grinning in the car because you just don't get to have this kind of lap very often," McMurray said.

It was the fifth career pole and second this season for the Daytona 500 champion. And it came on a day when racers had a hard enough time staying on course at the track "Too Tough To Tame."

Last week's winner at Richmond, Kyle Busch, scraped the wall on his qualifying run, drawing cheers from those in the stands in front of the start-finish line. Busch will start 39th on Saturday night.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrecked on his second lap of practice and moved to a back up car. He was so spooked by the track, Earnhardt Jr. predicted he'd show up here one year, have another bad run and give up the sport.

That's an attitude "Little E" didn't inherit from his late father -- Dale Earnhardt is second on Darlington's career list with nine victories. Earnhardt finished 19th fastest.

Mark Martin, who won this race at 50 years old a year ago, had the fifth fastest time and will start alongside Ryan Newman.

Roush Fenway Racing star Carl Edwards could not get in on time and used his top 35 position in owners points to make the field. Edwards will start 41st.

Speeds increased again in the Sprint Cup series third visit since a multimillion dollar repaving project smoothed out the rough edges of the six-decade-old, egg-shaped superspeedway.

Where the choppy surface in the past might give racers time to correct and yield a gentle "Darlington stripe," now drivers edge harder into the wall and lead to bigger problems.

"It makes it pretty hairy," said Gordon, who shares the track record of five Southern 500s with Cale Yarborough.

McMurray has had his struggles with Darlington since his first Sprint Cup visit in 2003. He had qualified inside the top 10 just once in nine previous races and has only finished in the top 15 once in his last four events.

McMurray credited his No. 26 Chevrolet for the success.

"When you come somewhere like here, when your car doesn't stick, you hit the wall," he said. "You just hope it sticks. And if it does, you run a good lap."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Mark Martin doesn't kid himself when it comes to his popularity versus that of fellow GoDaddy.com driver Danica Patrick, who made her stock-car debut in Saturday's ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway.

"I would say if she ran that lap in that car it would be a bigger story," said the 51-year-old Sprint Cup driver, pointing to the No. 5 Chevrolet he put on the pole for next Sunday's Daytona 500. "You see what I'm saying? You get it?"

Got it.

And if the driver Martin bumped from the top spot, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., ran that lap, it would have been an even bigger story.

That's just reality. No matter what Martin did on this sunny, windy afternoon, he was going to be somewhat overshadowed by the most popular female driver in the world and the most popular driver in NASCAR.

"Listen, I like it like that," Martin said with his ageless grin. "I've been real fortunate to have a lot of success in my career and still fly under the radar versus the amount of success I've had. That's cool. I'm a flying-under-the-radar kind of guy."

The radar is pointed at Patrick and Earnhardt. They had more people around their cars throughout the day than Auto Club Speedway has in the stands on race day.

OK, that's an exaggeration. But it puts into perspective where Martin ranks versus the other two.

That's all right with him and his team. They know come Feb. 14 they'll be competing for the biggest trophy in NASCAR other than the one given to the series champion, and Patrick will be watching on television.

"You might not see him on 'SportsCenter,' but if you walk through this garage and say, 'Name your top five drivers,' he's there," crew chief Alan Gustafson said. "The people that know, know."

That Martin and Earnhardt are on the front row could be scary for the rest of the garage. It could be an early sign that the changes made by Gustafson and Lance McGrew, Earnhardt's crew chief, to make the two teams work as one in the same building are coming together.

"Absolutely, without a doubt," McGrew said. "Now more than ever the 5-88 is one team with two cars. Get used to seeing that."

We were used to seeing Martin run this way. He won five races, seven poles and finished second in points to teammate Jimmie Johnson a year ago at an age when most drivers are retired.

Earnhardt? Uh, well, he suffered through the worst season of his career. He didn't win a race or a pole and finished 25th in points.

He struggled so badly that team owner Rick Hendrick made it his offseason goal to turn the team around. Getting Gustafson and McGrew to realign the shop to work more in conjunction, as Johnson and Jeff Gordon's team do in the adjacent building, was the starting point.

This is proof of success.

"When we went out [Friday] and he ran a .70 [-second lap] and we ran a .72, I looked at Alan and said, 'It is supposed to be like that, right?'" Martin said. "And he said, 'Yeah!' So, yes, we hope to both raise our games this year, the No. 5 and the No. 88."

Hendrick was as proud of Gustafson and McGrew as if they'd won the Daytona 500.

"It doesn't mean a whole lot to have two cars run the same speed," he said. "But confidence, that's what we need. We need a little boost and some good news there."

It's funny to hear Hendrick say one of his teams needs a boost. He's won the past four championships with Johnson and nine of the past 15. He swept the top three spots a year ago with Johnson, Martin and Gordon.

But in Earnhardt's case, building confidence was essential.

"We need a lot," he said. "This is nice. We just need to keep it going. You can never have enough good things happen to you."

Martin doesn't lack for confidence. Outside of Johnson, you can't find a driver with more.

What he doesn't have in 25 previous tries is a Daytona 500 victory. He'd like that as much as NASCAR wants Patrick and Earnhardt to succeed to bring in more fans and boost television ratings.

But instead of talking about what he hasn't done, Martin spent time talking about what the 5 and 88 can accomplish if this indeed is a precursor for the future.

That's class.

It truly is a shame Martin doesn't get the attention Patrick and Earnhardt get. He's accomplished more in racing than the two have combined, and that probably won't ever change.

Becoming the oldest driver to win a pole shows just how good he is because, according to Earnhardt, "I had a little bit more motor than he did."

Before the Earnhardt conspiracy theories begin, it's only one horsepower at best, and he is one of the best on restrictor-plate tracks. Added Hendrick diplomatically, "They're all good."

And next Sunday, they'll be on the front row of the Daytona 500.

"And, by the way," Martin said, "it's nice.

"But I'm still under the radar compared to Danica. Even though we got the pole we're still under the radar."

David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at dnewtonespn@aol.com.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. secured the front row for the Daytona 500 on Saturday.

Martin, the only driver to top 191 mph during qualifying, earned his first Daytona 500 pole. Earnhardt will start second, trying to rebound from the worst season in his Sprint Cup career.

The front-row sweep validates, at least for a week, the offseason moves team owner Rick Hendrick made in an attempt to get Earnhardt's team turned around.

"It's such an incredible accomplishment for the 5 and 88 team," Martin said. "It's all about the team. That was not an accomplishment of mine. ... To have Dale Jr. on the outside of the front row, locked in, just means we're doing something right."

Earnhardt was nearly as optimistic.

Dale Jr.

Martin

"This is a start, and hopefully we can keep the ball rolling over the next several days and have a good Speedweeks," Earnhardt said.

Martin and Earnhardt are the only drivers in the 43-man field who have their starting positions locked in.

The top 35 drivers from last season are guaranteed starting spots in next Sunday's race, but their positions will be set in Thursday's 150-mile qualifying races. Eight other spots will be up for grabs in those races, which could be wild affairs since NASCAR is giving drivers more horsepower and more leeway for aggressive driving.

Martin and Earnhardt, meanwhile, might just want to stay out of trouble.

Hendrick Motorsports, the most successful team in NASCAR right now, spent the offseason trying to get Earnhardt more in line with teammates Jimmie Johnson, Martin and Jeff Gordon -- who swept the top three spots in the final standings last season.

Earnhardt, the sport's most popular driver, went winless in his No. 88 Chevrolet. He notched just five top-10 finishes, had his crew chief fired midway through the year and suffered through the most confidence-rattling season of his 10-year Cup career.

After celebrating Johnson's fourth consecutive Sprint Cup championship, Hendrick made getting Earnhardt's team turned around his top priority. He restructured shop practices and shifted a lead race engineer and a key mechanic from Martin's successful team to Earnhardt's struggling crew.

Whether the moves pay off won't really be known for some time, but for at least a week, it looks like Hendrick pushed all the right buttons.

"It takes a little bit of the pressure off and relieves a little bit of the stress," Earnhardt said.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Bobby Gerhart held yet another trophy.

Danica Patrick held her own.

Gerhart's record sixth ARCA victory at Daytona International Speedway was overshadowed by the successful stock car debut of the IndyCar star, who rallied from a midrace spinout to finish sixth Saturday in the crash-filled race.

“

I bumped from the side. I bumped from the front. I got bumped from the back. I learned a lot, and I had so much fun in a race car today. So I can't wait to do it again.

” -- Danica Patrick

"It was a lot of fun," Patrick said. "I bumped from the side. I bumped from the front. I got bumped from the back. I learned a lot, and I had so much fun in a race car today. So I can't wait to do it again."

Patrick's first foray into stock car racing was widely anticipated, and she didn't disappoint.

After spending much of the race among the top 10, she bumped fenders with Nelson Piquet Jr. and spun out through the infield grass on lap 54, costing her any realistic hopes of a victory. But she charged through the field in the closing laps, getting as high as fifth with three laps left.

It impressed Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister Kelley, who was instrumental in putting together the deal that brought Patrick to the family's JR Motorsports team.

"I think she showed us she was able to drive," Kelley Earnhardt said. "One time I saw her up on the high side, she pulled down low. I kept thinking, 'Come on, let's up pull off an Earnhardt. Pass 18 cars in three laps and win this thing.'"

But she didn't have enough to catch Gerhart, who has won the ARCA season opener six of the last 12 years.

"As a little kid, I dreamed of having an opportunity to come here and race," Gerhart said. "When that happens, naturally comes the passion to come out and win, but I couldn't imagine doing it this many times."

Mark Thompson was second, followed by John Wes Townley, James Buescher and Patrick Sheltra.

Gerhart, who said he hadn't yet met Patrick, understood his name probably wouldn't end up in the headlines.

"Overshadowed by what? Did I miss something?" Gerhart deadpanned. "I'm glad she was here, really. It brought some very, very well-needed attention to this series."

Patrick will race a partial schedule in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide series this season. She has not yet decided if she will compete in the Nationwide opener at Daytona next Saturday.

"I'm really just thinking about today, what I learned and what I can do better," Patrick said.

Her car owners seemed pleased. Earnhardt Jr. sprinted from the NASCAR drivers meeting to congratulate her, while Rick Hendrick -- who owns a stake in JR Motorsports -- was quick to praise her over the in-car radio.

"You drove the wheels off that thing, girl," Hendrick told her. "We are proud of you."

Patrick replied, "Thank you very much."

The Daytona ARCA race is notorious for its frequent and spectacular crashes -- "You need to wear a helmet if you watch it from the stands," driver Scott Speed said earlier in the week -- and this year's race was no exception.

The car carnage started early, when Bill Baird's car got wildly loose on lap 7 and collided with Steve Blackburn, resulting in an eight-car pileup. The race restarted 10 laps later -- and the field couldn't even get through a full lap without another wreck.

Dakoda Armstrong's car spun out and was hit hard by Craig Goess, bringing the race to a halt again. Patrick artfully swerved high to avoid the wreck.

Another female driver in the field, Jill George, walked away safely after her car overturned in a frightening accident on lap 27. The race was red flagged in the aftermath of the accident as track safety workers repaired a fence.

Patrick learned about drafting at Daytona the hard way on lap 49, when she moved out of the low groove and lost touch with the leaders, slipping from sixth to 11th.

She noted over her in-car radio that the car was beginning to get loose and slide around on the track -- and things were about to get much worse.

On lap 54, Piquet Jr. tapped fenders with Patrick on the frontstretch, spinning Patrick into the infield grass.

"Grass is not good for grip," Patrick recalled thinking as her car was sliding.

She made an impressive save, managing to keep her car from sliding into the wall. Patrick was able to get back in the race but slipped to 24th.

The most frightening wreck of the day came a few laps later, when Barry Fitzgerald's car went tumbling wildly in the infield grass next to the backstretch. The car flipped seven times before coming to a stop, but Fitzgerald was able to climb out of the car.

Patrick's performance is likely to overshadow the wrecks and Gerhart's win, but Gerhart said he didn't mind.

"I actually welcome the opportunity to have a national platform to compete at," Gerhart said. "Hopefully when somebody talks about this series now, they're not going to say, 'You do what?"

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press