Gatorade 125s
The Gatorade 125s, the qualifying races for the Daytona 500, were held on Thursday, February 16 at Daytona International Speedway. The lineups for the 125s were determined by qualifying the previous Sunday. The first race would consist of drivers who qualified in odd-numbered positions (1st fastest, 3rd fastest, 5th fastest, etc.), while the second race would be formed from even-numbered qualifiers. As the fastest driver, Dale Jarrett would start from the pole in the first race, and second fastest driver Dale Earnhardt would lead the field in the second race.
Sterling Marlin would dominate the first race, leading 44 of 50 laps. His victory would ensure the 1994 Daytona 500 winner the 3rd starting spot on Sunday. Good finishes for Dave Marcis (10th), Joe Nemechek (12th), and Joe Ruttman (14th) assured them a starting spot in the 500.
In race 2, Earnhardt made it two-for-two for his Speedweeks, edging out Jeff Gordon for the victory. The race also contained two crashes. The first, on lap 15, collected Jimmy Spencer, Billy Standridge, and Loy Allen Jr. Allen was forced to fall back on his qualifying time, while Spencer and Standridge went home. The second crash occurred on lap 42, and involved Chad Little, Phil Barkdoll, Phil Parsons, and Jim Sauter. Fortunately for Parsons, his qualifying time was good enough to get him into the 500. Little, Barkdoll, and Sauter had to watch the 500 on TV.
Read more about this topic: 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series