NASCAR NOTEBOOK | From Daytona

Wrong way Kasey: Kasey Kahne has been fast in practice for the Daytona 500, but the rookie still has a lot to learn. During a qualifying race Thursday, Kahne got in trouble on pit road and wound up pulling into his box from the wrong direction. "There's a lot going out there," he said. "It was a learning experience." Especially when Kahne pulled into the pits. Trying to avoid another car, he swerved to the right and missed his stall. Kahne hit the brakes, only to get bumped from behind by Jeff Gordon. That sent the rookie spinning around, and he pulled into his pit box from the wrong direction. "It was my fault," he admitted. Once Kahne got straightened out, NASCAR officials held him in the pits as a penalty. He wound up finishing 13th in the qualifier, giving him the 27th starting position in Sunday's race. "I think we learned a lot today," Kahne said. "I know I learned a lot as a driver."
Playing it safe: With nothing to gain, Greg Biffle just wanted to keep his car out of the wall in the qualifying race. Mission accomplished. Biffle led the first 22 laps in the 50-lap event, but he wound up settling for 14th in a race won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not that it mattered. Biffle was assured of starting from the pole in Sunday's race, based on having the fastest speed in qualifying last weekend. In racing conditions, Biffle's car suffered. "I just couldn't keep the nose to the ground and it seemed like a lot of guys were like that," he said. "We'll work on it some more. We've got another happy hour [practice] and I didn't want to mix it up with those guys. It looked pretty hectic, so I just took the high road."
By the Skin(ner) of his teeth: NASCAR officials wound up with a rather unusual situation after the qualifying races for the Daytona 500. Based on the unique system used for this race, 42 drivers had qualified when the two 125-mile events were done. The 43rd spot was supposed to be based on owner points, but none of the other three drivers had any from the 2003 season. So, NASCAR picked Mike Skinner for the race. Andy Hillenburg and Kirk Shelmerdine were sent packing. Skinner had the best credentials of the group, joining the Nextel Cup circuit full-time in 1997. He's never won a race, but has more than $13 million in career earnings.
Old-timer series: Ol' D.W. wouldn't mind getting behind the wheel again. But only if he's racing against guys his own age. Darrell Waltrip, who retired after the 2000 season and became a television analyst, suggested Thursday that an old-timers racing series might be a success. "I'd love it," Waltrip said. "Make it a million dollars to win. That would be great. There's a lot of great older drivers who could do the job." He said an old-timers series -- akin to the Champions Tour in golf -- could be run in conjunction with the four-event International Race of Champions. "IROC could have one race with the current drivers" at each track, Waltrip said. "Then they could have another with the older drivers."
-- Associated Press