Rookie Greg Biffle celebrates his victory Saturday in the Pepsi 400. Biffle’s upset win was his 1st on the Winston Cup circuit. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Greg Biffle celebrates as he holds up the 1st place trophy in Victory Lane after winning the Pepsi 400. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Greg Biffle celebrates with girlfriend Nicole Lunders after winning the Pepsi 400. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Team owner Jack Roush congratulates rookie driver Greg Biffle on winning the Pepsi 400. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Greg Biffle does some celebratory spins after his Pepsi 400 win. (GARY W. GREEN/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Drivers aren’t the only ones who have to worry about staying sharp physically during the race. Here, Mark Cass, the jackman for driver Jamie McMurray, stretches before the race just before 7 p.m. McMurray’s team employs a physical trainer who works with each crew member. Cass’s work emphasizes the lower back, an area of concern for most pit-crew jackmen. (TOM BURTON/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Rookie Greg Biffle spins in celebration after his Pepsi 400 win. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Greg Biffle spins around the grass of the tri-oval at Daytona International Speedway after winning the Pepsi 400 Saturday night. Biffle earned the win thanks to his team’s pit-stop strategy on fuel. (GARY W. GREEN/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Greg Biffle crosses the finish line to take the Pepsi 400. (GARY W. GREEN/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Greg Biffle (top) follows Ryan Newman (center) and Tony Stewart to the finish line to win the Pepsi 400. (GARY W. GREEN/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Kurt Busch (97) spins out of control on the Turn 2 of Lap 74 of the Pepsi 400 starting the only big crash of the race that damaged 7 cars. (GARY W. GREEN/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Kurt Busch (97) spins on Lap 74, triggering a 7-car crash, the only major wreck of Saturdays Pepsi 400. (BARBARA V. PEREZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
A group of cars crash coming out of Turn 2 during a wreck at the Pepsi 400. (BARBARA V. PEREZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Tom Czoka, a crew member for Steve Park, walks a gas can back to the garage area near the midpoint of the Pepsi 400. Czoka also drives the AOL Chevrolet team truck for Park, whose car started on the pole Saturday night. (TOM BURTON/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Mark Webber changes a tire during the first pit stop for Michael Waltrip. (JULIE FLETCHER/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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The crew of Kevin Harvick’s car adds fuel and changes tires during a pit stop. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Sterling Marlin’s crew changes tires and adds fuel during a pit stop. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
The pit crew for Dale Earnhardt Jr. works during a pit stop. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Cars head to the stating line as the green flag drops to begin the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. (JULIE FLETCHER/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Ward Burton’s fuel crew watches parachutists before the start of the Pepsi 400. Fome left, Tony Anderson, Gray Warren and Neal Farrell work together on the Burton team. They won the Daytona 500 inn 2002. “Daytona is special. Daytona is the mecca,” said Warren. “It’s the race you want to win.” (TOM BURTON/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Activity bustles as the start of the race is just over an hour away. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
As country music star Sara Evans sings the National Anthem, Jeff Cook, a jackman for Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet team, stands at attention as he and his teammates hold American flags in the early evening breeze. The patriotic pre-race ceremony was also highlighted by a flyover of Air Force jets and military parachutists. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Tony Stewart gets a playful hug from Tampa Bay Buccaneer linebacker and Pepsi 400 Grand Marshall Warren Sapp during driver introductions at Daytona International Speedway. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Matt Kenseth’s crew works on getting the car ready to race. But it wasn’t parts, alignment or tires that cost him the race. It was not enough fuel at the end. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
The crew for Michael Waltrip pushes his car into the inspection area prior to the Pepsi 400. (TOM BURTON/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Tire man Ryan McCray uses adhesive to attach lug nuts to the wheels in the pits of the Jimme Johnson race team prior to the Pepsi 400. (TOM BURTON/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
A Winston Cup official checks over Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car before the race as other race cars are lined up ready for inspection. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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By 4 o’clock, crews had been at work for more than 3 hours tweaking their cars and making sure everything was set up properly. Here, NASCAR official Bill Cordoni tests the size of the holes in a restrictor plate to make sure they fall within regulations, making sure no one has an unfair advantage. (BARBARA V. PEREZ/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Eager race fans begin to trickle into the stands below the Winston Tower at Daytona International Speedway and mill about on the track 4 hours before the start of Saturday night’s race. A warm and humid, but rain-free day, greeted those who traveled near and far to the annual summer race at the Speedway. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Tracy Tibbetts (right), a crew member with Greg Biffle, pulls the tool cart with other crew members down pit road. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
The Winston Garage opens for crew memebers as they prepare for the race. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Crews line up to go to the garages which open at 1 p.m., 6 1/2 hours before the start of the race. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Barry Haley (left), crew chief for Jack Sprague, takes care of some phone calls while waiting with other crew members outside the garage area prior to the Pepsi 400. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
The pit and garage areas still are closed, and the stands won’t open for more than 2 hours, but Brian Schawe is hard at work painting the Pepsi’ logo on the grass at Daytona International Speedway. He works for Missouri Turf Paint of Kansas City and travels the nation painting corporate logos at sporting events. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Things start to get busy at the track. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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The sun rises over the wall between turns 3 and 4 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. The stands and garage areas are empty. But 13 hours later, more than 160,000 fans will cheer as their favorite NASCAR drivers roar past the start/finish line in pursuit of the checkered flag in the Pepsi 400. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
There’s no sign of life at Daytona International Speedway. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
The sky is illuminated just before sunrise at Daytona International Speedway. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. chats with his crew in the garage area during practice. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets some help putting on his helmet during final practice for the Pepsi 400. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Michael Waltrip walks in the garage area during final practice for the Pepsi 400. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Jimmie Johnson sits in the garage area following final practice for the Pepsi 400. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Pole winner Steve Park (right) jokes Thursday night with teammate Kevin Harvick after they qualified 1-2 for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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The start/finish line shines under the lights at Daytona International Speedway. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Crews push the No. 8 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 4 Pontiac of Stacy Compton down pit row during qualifying. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
A crew pushes the No. 4 Pontiac of Stacy Compton down pit row as the grandstands are filled with fans under the lights during qualifying. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
The No. 8 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. is pushed past the No. 16 Ford of Greg Biffle during qualifying. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Jeff Gordon signs a poster for Navy Chief Petty Officer William Trippett after qualifying for the Pepsi 400. Gordon earned the 3rd starting spot. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Michael Waltrip waves as he leaves his car in the garage area during Pepsi 400 practice Thursday. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Jeff Gordon (left) talks with teammate Jimmie Johnson in the garaage area during practice. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Tony Stewart walks back to his trailer after practice on Thursday before qualifying 13th for the Pepsi 400. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks under his car during a break in practice for Saturday’s Pepsi 400. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Kevin Harvick (left) talks with fellow driver Kerry Earnhardt in the garage area during qualifying Thursday night. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
Jeff Gordon climbs out of his car after qualifying at 184.498 mph for the Pepsi 400. (JOHN RAOUX/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
