Green ruins DEI pole party.

Former NASCAR Busch Series Champion Jeff Green completed the biggest feat of his Winston Cup career to date as he toppled the previously dominant Dale Earnhardt Jr off pole position for next weekend's Daytona 500.

A day late but by no means a dollar short, Monday's NASCAR Winston Cup Bud Pole qualifying session was again delayed slightly by inclement weather but once it was up and running Jeff Green and Richard Childress Racing ensured the fans had a day to remember.

In what looked like becoming a Dale Earnhardt Incorporated benefit after Michael Waltrip claimed top spot with a lap of 48.528secs (185.460mph) as the seventh of 50 cars to make a qualifying attempt. Green upset the formbook less than two minutes after Dale Earnhardt Jr had not only deposed his teammate from top spot but also done it by a considerable margin with a lap of 48.288secs (186.382mph).

After winning Saturday's Bud Shootout at a seamless canter, Dale Jr and his Tony Eury led crew appeared to have put down another unbeatable performance. But appearances can be deceptive.

As the red and black #8 Budweiser Chevrolet rolled back onto pit road to the delight of its crew and much of the Daytona International Speedway main grandstand, Green pulled onto the circuit in his #30 AOL Chevrolet almost unnoticed.

Despite running third fastest (behind Earnhardt Jr and Waltrip) in the first of Saturday's two practice sessions for the 45th annual Daytona 500, Green had been largely overlooked as a potential Bud Pole winner even though the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which Green's Richard Childress Racing team uses, has had the upper hand over its Ford, Dodge and Pontiac rivals thus far in Speedweeks.

Green's first flying lap, used as a throwaway by almost every single driver as they worked their way up to speed, was good. His second lap was simply superb.

No doubt benefiting slightly from a following wind going down the back straight (as did almost everyone else), Green sent the grandstands into a stunned, yet happy silence with a time of 49.230secs (186.606mph) and secured pole position for next Sunday's big race.

The two drivers who came closest to toppling Green from top spot were, ironically his two Richard Childress Racing teammates; Robby Gordon and Kevin Harvick.

Gordon secured third fastest time with a lap of 48.406secs in his #31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet and will start alongside his teammate on the front row of the grid in Thursday's first Gatorade 125 mile qualifying race. After a dreadful 2002 season RCR have made the best possible start in turning their fortunes around this year.

Harvick will line up third in the second 125-miler after setting sixth fastest time in his #29 GM Goodwrench Chevy, a good result but disappointing to the driver as he was beaten by both his teammates. He will also be starting directly behind the DEI drafting juggernaut that is Dale Earnhardt Jr and Michael Waltrip and so help will be hard to find in his quest for qualification race victory.

Sandwiched between Waltrip and Harvick with the fifth fastest qualifying time was Ford's lone representative in the top half dozen, a rejuvenated Ricky Rudd.

Entering the year with a renewed spring in his step Rudd powered the #21 Wood Brothers Ford to one of its best Daytona qualifying performances in ages to prevent a Chevrolet 1-2-3-4-5 clean sweep and the wily veteran finds himself starting behind the RCR duo in Gatorade qualifier number one.

Seventh fastest qualifier was the leading Robert Yates Racing Ford of Dale Jarrett while Bobby Labonte in another Chevrolet was eighth. The returning Sterling Marlin led the Dodge contingent in ninth place with Kyle Petty completing the top ten in another Dodge.

Defending Daytona 500 Bud Pole winner Jimmie Johnson couldn't match his 2002 efforts as Hendrick Motorsports was one of the few Chevrolet teams that seemed to slightly misjudge their qualifying set-up and last year's rookie sensation had to make do with 16th fastest time.

Of the six current Raybestos Rookie contenders attempting to make the race, Jamie McMurray is the best placed after qualifying in eleventh place with the #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Havoline Dodge. Roush Racing's Greg Biffle, trying to make up for the disappointment of his Daytona 500 DNQ one year ago, was next on the rookie list in 21st place.

Fellow rookies Tony Raines and Casey Mears also qualified inside the top 25 as did Christian Fittipaldi in Andy Petree's lone Chevrolet.

Further down the list, Mike Wallace qualified a satisfactory 26th fastest in the #09 Phoenix Racing Dodge that led the pre-season testing sessions last month although Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, last year's Bud Pole king Ryan Newman, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Burton and most of all, Tony Stewart were far from happy at the conclusion of the session.

Stewart suffered a near identical engine problem to the one that forced him to retire on the second lap of last year's Daytona 500 on his first flying lap and failed to record a time. The defending Winston Cup Champion will therefore have to start from the rear of his qualifying race on Thursday afternoon.

Gordon's #24 DuPont Chevrolet, which its owner says is a better racing car than a qualifying car, was 29th on the timesheets but still better off than several other fancied runners.

Busch, who had one of the strongest cars in the Bud Shootout, could only qualify 30th fastest with Newman a very dissatisfied 32nd in the leading Penske Racing Dodge. Teammate Rusty Wallace was even further back in 42nd place but again, the driver was more confident of his car's racing credentials.

Although only Green and Earnhardt Jr have solidified their starting spots in next Sunday's race, the Gatorade 125's will only account for positions 3-30 on the starting grid. Positions 31-36 will be taken by those teams with the quickest qualifying times that failed to make the cut in the qualifiers therefore giving some meaning to the placing lower down the order.

With the above scenarios in mind, it was especially important for those drivers whose teams have no Provisionals to fall back on or struggled in last year's Owner's Championship, to set a good qualifying lap and in that respect McMurray (#42), Biffle (#16), Raines (#74), Fittipaldi (#33) and Wallace (#09) will all be breathing slightly easier although there is still plenty of work to be done if they are to make the show. Among those looking nervously at the speed charts following today's qualifying session are Jimmy Spencer, Todd Bodine, David Green, Ken Schrader, Brett Bodine, Hermie Sadler, Derrike Cope, Mike Harmon, Kirk Shelmerdine and Norm Benning, who was the only driver not to attempt a qualifying lap.