DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Debates have been raging all week over both the differing rules among the four manufacturers and the overall aerodynamic package as compared to last year.

Depending on which owner you ask, the rules have either brought back the best of what Daytona has to offer or have just maintained the restrictor plate status quo of bunched-up racing with no passing. And which opinion an owner has often has plenty to do with how his drivers performed Thursday.

	Kyle Petty qualified 34th for the Daytona 500 based on his qualifying time earlier in the week.

In both the Bud Shootout and the first Gatorade 125, a lead pack broke out, but no cars within the pack were able to pass the leader down the stretch. The second 125 saw a multi-car wreck early and a large pack of cars battling for the lead down the stretch -- both familiar sights in restrictor plate races in recent years.

"It was typical Daytona and Talladega restrictor-plate racing where when you walk around the garage area, there's more body work being done for tire marks and dented fenders and crushed front ends than there would be after a Martinsville race," said Kyle Petty, who finished 17th in the first 125-mile race and qualified 34th for Sunday's Daytona 500 based on his qualifying time earlier in the week. "That's not the way speedway racing is supposed to be, so it was pretty typical."

But Petty, whose teammates -- or employees, depending on how you look at it -- John Andretti (finished eighth in second 125; will start 16th Sunday) and Buckshot Jones (was caught up in accident in second 125 and missed the field) had pretty much opposite outcomes, did save some praise for the Thursday's style of racing.

"I thought the racing -- they separated into packs, and I think that's better for the drivers," Petty said. "I do appreciate that type of racing.

"The deal is it lets the cream rise to the top and if you can make your car drive good, you'll be in the first pack. If you can't make your car drive good, you'll be in the second or third pack. It puts a little more emphasis on making the cars drive and handle, where we hadn't had that over the last few years."

The safety of the drivers in restictor plate races has been a hot topic, and it seemed to be the general consensus that this rules package has improved driver safety as compared to last season's setup.

"It's different, but I thought it was good racing," said Ray Evernham, who owns Jeremy Mayfield's No. 19, Bill Elliott's No. 9, and co-owns Casey Atwood's No. 7. "I had my problems with it because of my cars. But if one of my cars was up front, I'd probably be happy. Every type of racing's got it's problems. Regardless, I thought that the racing today was safer for the drivers."

Atwood finished 13th in the second 125 and will start 26th Sunday. Mayfield finished one spot behind Atwood in 14th and will start 28th, one spot ahead of Elliott, who finished 14th in the first 125.

Joe Gibbs, who has Tony Stewart (sixth) and Bobby Labonte (10th) both starting in the top-10, was also pleased with Thursday's action.

"I thought it was good. You're never quite sure in a short race like that what's going to happen, but I think it'll be a good race for the 500 and the second race was exciting," Gibbs said. "I think it makes for an exciting and safe 500."

Some concerns have been raised over the lead pack's inability to pass the leader in the Shootout and the first 125, though Stewart, the winner of Sunday's Bud Shootout, has already cautioned the media against blowing it out of proportion. The driver of the No. 20 Pontiac explained that Sunday's full field will contain a larger number of stronger cars and therefore make it easier for drivers to get together and make stronger runs on the leader.

Robert Yates, who owns the No. 28 of Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett's No. 88, agreed it would be a non-issue Sunday. But, team owner Jack Roush did express concerns over what he saw in the 125s.

"There weren't very many passes," he said. "Not all of the makes were competitive. The Fords were less than competitive and the Dodges weren't much more competitive than the Fords. The race is going to be a Pontiac and Chevrolet show unless NASCAR does something else."

Among Roush's drivers, only Kurt Busch qualified via Thursdays 125s. Busch finished seventh in the first race and will start 15th. Teammate Jeff Burton (will start 33rd) got in on qualifying time, while Mark Martin (will start 39th) used a provisional. Matt Kenseth, who for all intents and purposes is also a Roush driver, also needed a provisional to get into the 500 after finishing 15th in the first 125.

Evernham, meanwhile, didn't care to hear about Stewart's concerns.

"The issue he needs to work on is running people down in the grass here," Evernham said. "He ran my car down in the grass."

And despite his positive views on the apparent improved safety situation, Evernham also expressed some concerns about Thursday's action.

"What they need to do is worry about this yellow line deal and people blocking people so guys are going to be spinning out and all that stuff," he said. "Guys are going to break up in packs and there's going to be racing. I'm just not a big fan of the cars running four wide and 10-deep, either."

NASCAR has proven it is ready to make changes to the rules if it deems it necessary. And while Roush might be pining for some adjustment, Gibbs and Yates aren't expecting any modifications.

"I hope (there are no rules changes). I think we've got them safe right now and the cars are getting spread out some," Gibbs said.

Said Yates, "No, I don't think (there will be changes), other than what teams do on their own to get better. We're working hard on that. We've got to get up front and we'll be throwing the best we've got at it for Sunday."

But for Petty, the jury is still out.

"I think we'll have to wait until after the 500. It's a step in the right direction in some ways and a step in the wrong direction in other ways."