Jarrett on pole for 500.

Dale Jarrett will start the Daytona 500 from pole position for the third time in his career after outpacing no less than 56 other hopefuls in a mammoth three-hour Bud Pole qualifying session in Florida on Sunday.

Even with his starting slot in next Sunday's race assured thanks to NASCAR's new qualifying rules, Jarrett chose not to take things easy and focus on his race set-up, as several of Speedweeks key players chose to.

Instead the triple Daytona 500 champ reeled off a quick lap of 47.793 seconds (188.312mph) to snatch pole away from Jeff Gordon a little less than half way through the qualifying period.

1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope got things underway but his qualifying lap wasn't the first piece of action of the session after Greg Biffle's car caught fire on pit road just as qualifying was set to begin. A shorted wire in the oil heater was later blamed for the brief conflagration but despite the calamity, Biffle's Roush Racing crew calmly wheeled the #16 National Guard Ford back to the garage to make the necessary repairs that would enable him to make a qualifying run.

The first half of the session saw a succession of temporary pole sitters with Mike Bliss, Boris Said and Scott Riggs all sitting atop the charts. Jeff Gordon turned the wick up considerably by becoming the first driver to break the 188mph barrier but even his 47.833 seconds effort couldn't hold Jarrett.

Jarrett couldn't relax and celebrate the most coveted pole position of the NASCAR season yet, far from it. With more than 30 teams left to run, it was fingers crossed all along the #88 Robert Yates Racing pit as more than half a dozen genuine pole contenders remained.

Yet one by one, nobody topped Jarrett's mark. Saturday's Bud Shootout winner Jimmie Johnson came closest, stopping the clocks in a time of 47.829 seconds to guarantee himself a place on the outside of the front row but no-one, not even qualifying ace Ryan Newman, could displace Jarrett.

So it will be a Ford, Chevrolet front row next Sunday with everyone else squabbling for their final starting positions in Thursday's Gatorade 150 duels. Well, nearly everybody.

NASCAR's new qualifying rules have ensured that the top 35 teams from last year's owners standings will be guaranteed a starting spot in every Nextel Cup race, leaving everyone else to scrap over eight positions. With 57 teams on the entry list, the remaining 22 teams are effectively fighting for just eight qualifying slots.

In this instance, the fastest four non-top 35 teams in Bud Pole qualifying will have guaranteed themselves a place in Sunday's race while the top two non-35 teams in each Gatorade duel will also earn a starting berth.

Of the non top 35 teams, Jason Leffler was quickest in the new #11 Joe Gibbs Racing/FedEx Chevrolet in seventh place overall while the increasingly popular Said (11th fastest), Bill Davis Racing's Mike Skinner (13th fastest) and ppc Racing's John Andretti (18th fastest) filled the next three slots.

Should Leffler, Said, Skinner and Andretti occupy the first two places in Thursday's Gatorade duels, the next four fastest non-top 35 teams will have gained automatic entry. Should that scenario play out, Morgan McClure's Mike Wallace (26th), reigning Busch Series Champ Martin Truex Jr (31st), Richard Childress Racing's Kerry Earnhardt (32nd) and Robby Gordon (38th) will be the ones wearing the biggest smiles in Florida.

Of the remaining 14 teams not guaranteed a starting spot in next Sunday's race, a list that includes Kenny Wallace, Kirk Shelmerdine (an impressive 41st fastest overall), Johnny Sauter, Hermie Sadler, Eric McClure, Kevin Lepage, Greg Sacks, Stanton Barrett, Andy Belmont, Morgan Shepherd, Randy LaJoie, Larry Gunselman, Geoffrey Bodine and first man to qualify Cope, all have to overcome the odds and race their way into the top two positions (in class) in their respective Gatorade qualifiers if they want to spend another weekend at Daytona.

Several of the fancied runners made no bones about the fact that, as they were guaranteed a starting slot, finding a qualifying set-up was no their main priority. Mark Martin was only 23rd quickest, Tony Stewart 28th, Ryan Newman 29th, Dale Earnhardt Jr a lowly 39th and Matt Kenseth an even slower 46th (largely thanks to an engine going sour on his final qualifying lap). All indicated minor disappointment at not qualifying better, but were quick to point out that their race form would be much better.

Behind Jarrett, Johnson and Gordon, Kevin Harvick oozed confidence in his #29 Richard Childress Racing GM Goodwrench Chevrolet as he set fourth fastest time. After electing to miss the pre-season test at Daytona and electing to forego participation in Saturday's final practice session, Harvick will be a man to watch both on Thursday and on Sunday.

The MB2/MBV Motorsport stable has been one of the most impressive of all during the build-up to next Sunday's race and the team didn't disappoint when it mattered as Joe Nemechek and Scott Riggs qualified fifth and sixth quickest with new teammate Said 11th.

Leffler was the surprise of the session in seventh place, beating defending Champion Kurt Busch, Ricky Rudd and tenth place man Elliott Sadler.

The new Dodge Charger did not enjoy a good maiden qualifying session; with Kyle Petty's #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny sponsored ride the fastest, albeit in 12th position. While Petty's form was a major boost for the family owned team, their much ballyhooed switch to Evernham prepped engines got off to a less than auspicious start when Jeff Green's #43 Cheerios Dodge cried enough before he had a chance to set a time.

Sitting 32nd in owner points and thus guaranteed a starting slot, it was a lucky escape for Green and the famed #43 team, who finished qualifying 57th and last on the sheet.