DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. left Daytona frustrated and furious in July.

One of his favorite tracks, the place forever linked to his family name, had become a bore.

Junior disliked every aspect of the newfangled tandem racing at NASCAR’s superspeedways: the blind pushing, the feeling of not being in total control and the need for constant communication.

“It was a foolish freakin’ race,” he said after a 19th-place finish.

His outlook has since changed considerably. Between some NASCAR-mandated changes, results during testing and 54 wild laps in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout, Earnhardt’s concerns have been alleviated.

Now, he might even be considered a front-runner heading into today’s qualifying race and Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500.

“I do feel like I have a better shot at winning in this current style of racing,” Earnhardt said Wednesday. “I do feel more confident than I did coming down here and tandem drafting. I never felt really great about that. It is a completely different style of racing, and it’s not what I enjoyed.

“I definitely feel better about this.”

Still, Earnhardt and others believe tandem racing in the final laps will determine the outcome in the qualifying races and “The Great American Race.”

Earnhardt won the 2004 Daytona 500 and has a dozen other victories at NASCAR’s most storied track.

It’s also the place where his father, seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt, won 34 races and died on the final lap in the 2001 opener. So Daytona has become synonymous with the Earnhardt legacy.

Kahne wrecks primary car

Kasey Kahne was forced to a backup car Wednesday after a wreck in practice for the Daytona 500.

Kahne’s new Chevrolet spun through the grass at Daytona International Speedway after Juan Pablo Montoya tapped the back of his car.

Kahne, who will make his debut for Hendrick Motorsports in Sunday’s season-opening race, also wrecked in last weekend’s exhibition race at Daytona.

He’s down to his last car heading into today’s 150-mile qualifying race.