Sprint Cup qualifying for the Centurion Boats at The Glen was canceled Friday because of rain for the fourth time in five years at the storied road course in upstate New York. That forced Said to park his No. 60 Ford for the second straight year here. Said has to qualify to race because he has only raced twice in 2008.
"It's depressing because our four guys in the shop put in so much work," said Said, also prevented from qualifying in 2000 and 2005. "Two years in a row we haven't started the motor."
It began raining just as the Cup cars were about to hit the track for their first practice at noon, and although the track was nearly dry by 2:45 p.m., NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said the day's schedule did not afford enough time. A Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race was scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Said ran last year's race after Bill Elliott voluntarily gave up his ride in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford and finished 14th after starting 39th. This time, Kyle Petty gave Said the keys to the No. 45 Dodge.
Said, who was granted permission by Ford to switch brands for the race, will go off 40th. Expect him to bring home the car in one piece and not make any of the bonzai moves he's known for.
"In my car, it's go all-out and try to win it," said Said, who finished third at Watkins Glen to Tony Stewart in 2005 after starting 41st. "I'd like to reward him. I'm going to try as hard as I can, but I have to restrain myself, not take any of those crazy chances. At least I'm running."
Said again implored NASCAR to alter its stance on qualifying. The top 35 in points automatically are in, leaving eight spots to fill for the race.
"We know tomorrow is going to be sunny, set aside a half hour," Said said. "Give us a chance to try."
Tharp said a change wasn't likely. "What we do works out 95 percent of the time," he said.
The cancellation puts Cup points leader Kyle Busch on the pole with Dale Earnhardt Jr. alongside him. Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson are in the second row, followed by Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.
Edwards, who won three of the first seven races of the season, notched his fourth victory a week ago at Pocono and also finished second to Johnson the previous week at Indianapolis.
"We don't really have any pressure right now," said Edwards, who challenged Tony Stewart for the win here a year ago but went off course on the final lap and finished eighth. "I would have liked the chance to qualify, but starting third won't be bad."
Rookie of the Year leader Regan Smith would just like to start, but he's not running this weekend at Watkins Glen. Canadian road race star Ron Fellows, who won last week's Nationwide race in Montreal, will drive in his place for Dale Earnhardt Inc.
"The guys put a great deal of effort into the entry, and I appreciate that they tried to accommodate my desire to race in front of my hometown fans in upstate New York," said Smith, who was born in Cato, N.Y. "I'll be there to support Ron and my guys any way I can."
Fellows, who will start 32nd, was ecstatic.
"It's just great to be back with DEI again," Fellows said. "We feel pretty confident we'll have a decent car. You're always rolling the dice. We saw the stars get aligned for us last weekend. We'll see if we can do it two weeks in a row.
"But it's a new race, and even tougher competition, more difficult circumstances. It's going to be tough."
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