HUERTA AND RICE? RIVALS TEAMMATES FOR DAYTONA TEST.

Byline: TIM HADDOCK Motor Sports

It might seem like a bit of an unholy alliance, but Bryan Herta and Buddy Rice are teaming up to race in today's Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Herta and Rice, rivals in the Indy Racing League, will be part of a four-driver contingent for Finlay Motorsports in the 24-hour endurance race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Team owner Rob Finlay, Michael Valiante, Herta and Rice will be driving the No. 28 Ford Crawford, one of 31 cars qualified for the race in the Daytona Prototype class.

Herta, a Hart High graduate and Valencia resident, drives for Andretti Green Racing in the IRL IndyCar Series. Rice, winner of the 2004 Indianapolis 500, drives for the rival Rahal Letterman Racing team.

Their rivalry rarely extends beyond the race track. For the first time in their careers, they will be working together toward the same goal: winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

``I want to do well, but it's also - I'm doing it to enjoy it,'' Herta said. ``If you want to enjoy it, you have to enjoy the people who you are around. That's a big reason for me to want to run with this team. I like all the people involved.''

Rice included. The two have been friends since early in their careers, working up the open-wheel developmental series more than 10 years ago.

``Buddy and I have always gotten along since he was in Atlantics,'' Herta said. ``I remember him. He's an old karter, like I am. We've been in touch and been friendly. We hung out on occasion. We've never driven together, so when the chance came up to drive with Buddy, that was easy to want to do.''

This will be Herta's second attempt at the 24-hour race at Daytona. He teamed with brothers Terry and Bobby Labonte and Doran Racing in last year's Rolex 24 at Daytona.

That's one of the attractions. Herta said racing in events like this gives him a chance to compete against drivers he wouldn't normally race.

``The biggest thing is just who's there,'' Herta said. ``There's so many great drivers there that we don't normally get to race against. They're all there. It's a chance to test yourself against some different competition in a different type of racing.''

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champ Tony Stewart is entered in the Rolex 24, driving with sports car racing stars Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace. Recently retired NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace is racing with IRL rookie of the year Danica Patrick. Casey Mears, Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon are racing for owner Chip Ganassi.

Finlay Motorsports has an all-star team of sorts with Alex Barron and Memo Gidley racing with Michael McDowell in the team's second entry, the No. 19 Ford Crawford.

``This is a good team with a good package,'' Herta said. ``They stand a good chance of definitely getting a good result out of it.''

Herta is no stranger to endurance racing. In addition to last year's Daytona race, he spent a year in the American Le Mans Series with Panoz Motorsports and raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

``I enjoyed my time when I was in the ALMS and sports-car racing,'' Herta said. ``It's a great form of racing and something I'd like to do more of in the future. I'd love to go back to Le Mans and have a real good shot at trying to win Le Mans sometime.''

Racing in the Rolex 24 will give Herta and Rice extra time in a race car. New rules limit the number of IRL test days. From the end of the season in October until Tuesday at Phoenix International Raceway, none of the IRL drivers was allowed to test with their teams.

``Sitting at home not driving is not the way to improve your skills or maintain your skills,'' Herta said. ``It's a chance to stay active and keep practicing, eventually getting ready for the Indy-car season.''

Herta isn't sure quite what to expect at Daytona.

``It's always difficult to make predictions going into a 24-hour race, because there are so many things that can go wrong,'' Herta said. ``There's a lot of cars and a lot of inexperienced drivers. There's traffic. Car reliability is always a big deal. I think if we run reliably and stay out of trouble, we have as good a chance to win as anybody. There's a lot of ifs in there.''

Valiante qualified the No. 28 Finlay Motorsports entry eighth for the race in 1:44.933 seconds and 122.135 mph. Lucas Luhr in the No. 29 Porsche Crawford won the pole for the race in 1:44.009 seconds and 123.220 mph. Luhr's qualifying time broke the Daytona Prototype record set in June at Daytona International Speedway.

Dixon put his team's car, the No. 02 Lexus Riley for Chip Ganassi Racing, on the front row, starting second, with a time of 1:44.609 and 122.513 mph.

Defending Rolex 24 winner Max Angelelli's qualifying run was disqualified after a technical infraction. His team, driving the No. 10 Pontiac Riley, would have started second.

The No. 19 Ford Crawford entry for Finlay Motorsports qualified sixth.

GRAND AMERICAN ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES 

Rolex 24 at Daytona

Site: Daytona Beach, Fla.

Schedule: Today, race (Speed Channel 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Speed Channel, 5-8 p.m.) Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 5-9:30 a.m.).

Track: Daytona International Speedway (3.56-mile road course).

Race distance: 24 hours (timed event).

Next race: Mexico City, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, March 2-4.

On the Net: www.grandamerican.com.

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Photo:

Germany's Lucas Luhr won the pole for today's Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona International Speedway.

Nigel Cook/Associated Press

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GRAND AMERICAN ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES (see text)