Daytona 500: Dodge chassis notes

STERLING MARLIN (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Marlin will drive the No. 005 chassis in the Daytona 500. It's the same car Marlin raced last year in the 500 and finished seventh. Marlin will drive a brand new Dodge Intrepid R/T in the Budweiser Shootout. Marlin won two races and finished third in the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Standings (NWCS). In his first season behind the wheel for the Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing Team, Marlin also won a pole, recorded 12 top five and 20 top 10 finishes. Marlin was the only driver who remained in the top 10 in points all last season. The 44-year-old driver from Columbia, Tenn., has 539 career starts on the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit.

JIMMY SPENCER (No. 41 Target Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Spencer will drive a brand new Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis in the Daytona 500. He'll drive chassis No. 006 in the Budweiser Shootout. 006 competed in both Talladega races last season and the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Spencer, a 44-year-old Berwick, Pa., native, is one of three new Dodge drivers for 2002. Spencer finished 16th in the 2001 NWCS. He won two poles and had three top five and eight top 10 finishes. Spencer has two career victories in 370 career starts.

BILL ELLIOTT (No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Elliott, last year's Daytona 500 pole winner, will drive a brand new Evernham Motorsports Dodge Intrepid R/T Chassis in the Daytona 500. He'll compete with last year's Pepsi 400 chassis in the Budweiser Shootout. Elliott, a 46-year-old 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion from Dawsonville, Ga., won a race and finished 15th in the 2001 NWCS. The Evernham Motorsports driver won two poles and had five top five and nine top 10 finishes last season. He has 41 career victories in 659 starts.

JEREMY MAYFIELD (No. 19 Dodge Dealers Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Mayfield will drive brand new Evernham Motorsports Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis in the Daytona 500 and Budweiser Shootout. Mayfield competed in 28 races last season and had five top five and seven top 10 finishes. A 32-year-old Owensboro, Ky., native, Mayfield has six career poles and three wins in 237 starts.

WARD BURTON (No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Burton will compete in the Daytona 500 with the same Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis that raced in all four plate races last season. Burton won a race and finished 14th in the 2001 NWCS. He scored six top five and 10 top 10 finishes for car owner Bill Davis. A 40-year-old driver from South Boston, Va., Burton has 250 career starts.

HUT STRICKLIN (No. 23 Hills Bros Coffee Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Stricklin will race a brand new chassis in the Daytona 500. Stricklin competed in 22 races last season and had one top 10 finish. He drove for Dodge car owner Bill Davis in Atlanta in November and finished 11th. Stricklin, a 40-year-old Calera, Ala., native, has 305 career starts. He won the NASCAR Dash Series championship in 1986 and was the NASCAR Winston Cup rookie of the year runner-up in 1991.

JOHN ANDRETTI (No. 43 Cheerios Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Andretti's Daytona 500 chassis competed in the last three plate races in 2001. Andretti, a 38-year-old driver from Indianapolis, Ind., finished 31st in the 2001 NWCS and had a season-best second-place finish at Bristol. He had two top 10 finishes. Andretti has two career victories and four poles in 262 career starts.

CASEY ATWOOD (No. 7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Atwood will compete at Daytona with a brand new Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis. Atwood will begin his sophomore season on the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit driving for new Dodge car owner Jim Smith. Atwood finished third in 2001 in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings and 26th in the NWCS. He won a pole and had one top five and three top 10 finishes.

BUCKSHOT JONES (No. 44 Georgia Pacific Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Jones will drive a brand new Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis in the Daytona 500. Jones finished 41st in the 2001 NWCS. The 31-year-old driver from Tucker, Ga., has 47 career starts.

KYLE PETTY (No. 45 Sprint Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Petty will drive the same Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis out of the Petty Enterprises stables that qualified eighth and finished 33rd last October at Talladega. Petty finished 43rd in the 2001 NWCS. The 41-year-old driver from Randleman, N.C., has eight wins and eight poles in 609 career starts. The Petty Enterprises CEO will begin his 23rd Cup season in 2002.

THE FOLLOWING THREE DRIVERS ARE NOT FACTORY-BACKED DODGE TEAMS

ROBERT PRESSLEY (No. 92 Brandsource Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Pressley will race the same Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis that won two restrictor-plate poles last season at Talladega.

SHAWNA ROBINSON (No. 49 BAM Racing Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Robinson will compete in a brand new Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis at Daytona.

CARL LONG (No. 85 Mansion Motorsports Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Long will drive a brand new Dodge Intrepid R/T chassis in the Daytona 500.

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